SSB 1163 – Funding for dual enrollment, allowing it to replace required courses
SSB 1214 – Requesting a fine arts interim
SF 297 – New tax credit for STEM “high-demand” occupations and CTE jobs
SF 318 – Student loan ombudsman
SF 353 – Interim study on snow days and online offerings
SF 372 – Private school vouchers
COMMITTEE ACTION:
SSB 1163 – Funding for dual enrollment, allowing it to replace required courses
SSB 1163 increases supplementary weighting for liberal arts concurrent/dual enrollment from .46 to .50. It also allows concurrent enrollment programs to supplant or take the place of, rather than supplement high school courses required to be offered and taught under the state’s educational standards. The educational standards require accredited schools to offer and teach five units of science and six units of mathematics. The new exemption allows one of these science and math units to be offered and taught under dual enrollment if the number of pupils enrolled exceeds five and the school district’s total enrollment does not exceed 600 pupils. The bill allows schools with enrollment of more than 600 students to use concurrent enrollment to count for one class of existing “offer and teach” requirements for science and math, but they will not receive additional/weighted funding.
The bill provides new direct state standing unlimited funds pay for concurrent enrollment of private school students. Under current statute, nonpublic school students access concurrent enrollment (and PSEO) through the public school district. Private schools – like new sections for public schools – can use concurrent enrollment to supplant one science offer and teach requirement and two math offer and teach requirements.
Democrats offered an amendment to require schools to show that they have made a good-faith effort to find a local teacher before using a community college teacher for one of their required offer and teach classes in math, science or any of the career and technical education (CTE) courses. Republicans voted down that amendment because they don’t believe schools should have to make a good-faith effort to find a qualified K-12 teacher or report that information to the state.
[3/4: 14-0 (Pass: Quirmbach)]
SSB 1214 – Requesting a fine arts interim
SSB 1214 is a concurrent resolution to establish a fine arts program interim study committee. This interim study committee will review the funding; staffing and professional development; course offerings, including arts integration courses; parental, family and community engagement measures; procurement of and access to instructional materials; and state priorities for fine arts education in broader school-improvement efforts.
[3/4: Short Form]
SF 297 – New tax credit for STEM “high-demand” occupations and CTE jobs
SF 297 creates a new tax credit for STEM “high-demand” occupations and CTE jobs. A student qualifies if they get a STEM or CTE credential or degree at community college. The tax credit is for the total tuition and mandatory fees paid by the student earning a credential after they’ve completed and earned their degree/certificate, for the following five tax years.
Some key points to consider include that there is no residency requirement to get the tax credit and there is no actual job specification requirement. A person could get a qualifying credential and then get a job completely unrelated to their training and still qualify for this tax credit. Additionally, there is no requirement that the employee has student debt for their education or training, which is a major concern for workers when deciding to go back for additional school or training. Finally, there is no income consideration either on the front end when someone starts the program or on the back end when the employee gets a job and pays income tax. If they get a high-demand job, basic economics would say they are getting one with a higher than average salary.
Democrats on the committee offered a comprehensive alternative that included high-demand teachers as well as STEM and Career and Technical training. The amendment also allowed a student to attend any higher education or training program and qualify for the tax credit. It also addressed student debt and income guidelines, and required the employee to be a resident of Iowa to claim the tax credit. The amendment failed.
[3/4: 10-5, party-line]
SF 318 – Student loan ombudsman
SF 318 establishes an office of student loan ombudsman, which will receive and attempt to resolve student loan borrowers’ complaints; compile and analyze data on such complaints; assist student loan borrowers in understanding their rights and responsibilities; provide information regarding the problems and concerns of student loan borrowers; and establish and maintain a student loan borrower education course. If the ombudsman has reason to believe that a person or entity has knowingly engaged in consumer fraud, they will submit information and findings to the Attorney General for further review and appropriate action.
[3/6: Short Form]
SF 353 – Interim study on snow days and online offerings
SF 353 requests a legislative interim study on how online classes could be used to make up snow days. Democrats offered an amendment that expanded the membership of the interim committee to include educators, administrators and parents for both rural and urban schools. Another key part of the amendment was to consider policies to provide parents or guardians protected time off from work to care for or transport their children in the event of an unusually high number of school cancelations. The amendment would have permitted the employer’s discretion to provide paid or unpaid time off, while ensuring an employee is not discharged, penalized or otherwise retaliated against for taking time off pursuant to the policy. That amendment was not accepted and this interim committee, if formed, will not consider employment impacts of multiple school cancelations or delays.
[3/4: 15-0]
SF 372 – Private school vouchers
SF 372 creates private school vouchers or “education savings accounts.” SF 372, as amended, provides vouchers for private school students who have been identified as special education or are on a 504 disability plan.
The bill proposes a private school voucher for only certain students at an estimated $7,019 for that student’s voucher. A committee amendment strikes most of the bill and only provides vouchers for students with an Individual Education Plan or 504 (disability) plan.
A fund is created in the state treasury. For the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2020, and each succeeding fiscal year, there is appropriated from the general fund the amount necessary to pay all school vouchers approved for that fiscal year. The bill authorizes the Department of Management to contract with a private financial management firm to manage the education savings grant fund. Students that qualify for these vouchers can keep any leftover money to save and use after high school for higher education expenses. A voucher received by a taxpayer is not taxable income for purposes of state individual income taxes. This provision of the bill applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. There is no additional state oversight or educational responsibilities mandated to private schools with the state funding.
[3/6: 8-7 (No: Democrats, Cournoyer, Lofgren)]