Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Senate File 2312 - Introduced
                                  SENATE FILE 2312
                                  BY DONAHUE
                            A BILL FOR
An Act relating to the amount of compensation paid to school
  district employees, including by establishing an educator
  supplement for all fund to be administered by the department
  of education, and modifying the amount of compensation paid
  to teachers, certain employees with a license, endorsement,
  certification, authorization, or statement of recognition
  issued by the board of educational examiners, and teaching
  assistants, and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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    Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.20 Educator supplement for all
 fund —— teacher and staff pay —— appropriation.
    1. a. An educator supplement for all fund is established
 in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered by
 the department and shall consist of moneys appropriated by
 the general assembly and any other moneys received by the
 department for deposit in the fund. The moneys in the fund are
 appropriated and made available to the department to be used
 for meeting the requirements of this section.
    b. The department shall distribute moneys from the fund
 to school districts established pursuant to chapter 274 in
 amounts necessary to ensure that school districts compensate
 employees and teachers in accordance with this section, section
 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1), section
 284.16, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, unnumbered paragraph 1,
 and section 284.17, subsection 1.
    c. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for each
 succeeding fiscal year, there is appropriated from the general
 fund of the state to the educator supplement for all fund the
 amount necessary to make all distributions required under
 paragraph “b” for the fiscal year.
    2. a. (1) Subject to paragraph “b”, each school district
 shall pay to each employee with a license, endorsement,
 certification, authorization, or statement of recognition
 issued by the board of educational examiners who has been
 employed by the school district for at least one year, and who
 has completed all periods of conditional employment with the
 school district, five thousand dollars each year in addition
 to the employee’s base salary.
    (2) Subparagraph (1) shall not require a school district to
 pay any amounts in addition to an employee’s base salary if the
 employee holds an administrator license issued by the board of
 educational examiners and is employed by the school district in
 an administrative role.
    b. Each school district shall pay to each employee who
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                               S.F. 2312
 serves as a teaching assistant an amount equal to ten percent
 of the employee’s current annual salary each year in addition
 to the employee’s base salary.
    c. If an employee qualifies for a payment from a school
 district under paragraph “a” and paragraph “b”, the school
 district shall pay the employee the greater of the amount
 required under paragraph “a” or paragraph “b”, but not both.
    3. Each school district shall apply to the department for a
 distribution of moneys pursuant to this section.
    Sec. 2. Section 257.10, subsection 12, paragraph d, Code
 2024, is amended to read as follows:
    d. Except as otherwise allowed under this paragraph, for
 the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, and succeeding budget
 years, the use of the funds calculated under this subsection
 shall comply with the requirements of chapter 284 and shall
 be distributed to teachers pursuant to section 284.15. The
 funds shall be used only to increase the payment for a teacher
 assigned to a leadership role pursuant to a framework or
 comparable system approved pursuant to section 284.15; to
 increase the percentages of teachers assigned to leadership
 roles; to increase the minimum teacher starting salary to
 thirty-three thousand five hundred dollars the amount provided
 in section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph
 (1); to cover the costs for the time mentor and lead teachers
 are not providing instruction to students in a classroom;
 for coverage of a classroom when an initial or career
 teacher is observing or co-teaching with a teacher assigned
 to a leadership role; for professional development time to
 learn best practices associated with the career pathways
 leadership process; and for other costs associated with a
 framework or comparable system approved by the department of
 education under section 284.15 with the goals of improving
 instruction and elevating the quality of teaching and student
 learning. If all requirements for the school district for
 the use of funds calculated under this subsection are met
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                                S.F. 2312
 and funds received under this subsection remain unexpended
 and unobligated at the end of a fiscal year beginning on or
 after July 1, 2020, the school district may transfer all or a
 portion of such unexpended and unobligated funds for deposit
 in the school district’s flexibility account established
 under section 298A.2, subsection 2. At the end of a fiscal
 year beginning on or after July 1, 2022, school districts may
 use all or a portion of funds under this subsection for the
 purposes authorized under subsection 9, paragraph “d”, and,
 notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, school
 districts shall not be required to participate in or comply
 with section 284.15 in order to continue to receive funding
 under this subsection.
    Sec. 3. Section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph a,
 subparagraph (1), Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
    (1) The For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and
 for each subsequent fiscal year, the salary for an initial
 teacher who has successfully completed an approved practitioner
 preparation program as defined in section 256.145 or holds
 an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter
 256, subchapter VII, part 3, shall be at least thirty-three
 thousand five hundred fifty thousand dollars, which shall also
 constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
    Sec. 4. Section 284.16, subsection 1, paragraph a,
 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2024, is amended to read as
 follows:
    The For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for each
 subsequent fiscal year, the beginning teacher shall be paid not
 less than thirty-three thousand five hundred fifty thousand
 dollars and shall meet the following requirements:
    Sec. 5. Section 284.17, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended
 to read as follows:
    1. A For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for
 each subsequent fiscal year, the minimum salary of thirty-three
 thousand five hundred fifty thousand dollars for a full-time
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                                        S.F. 2312
teacher.
                                    EXPLANATION
         The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
         the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
    This bill relates to the amount of compensation paid
 to school district employees, including by establishing
 an educator supplement for all fund to be administered
 by the department of education, and modifying the amount
 of compensation paid to teachers, certain employees with
 a license, endorsement, certification, authorization, or
 statement of recognition issued by the board of educational
 examiners (BOEE), and teaching assistants.
    Currently, Code chapter 284 (teacher compensation) provides
 that the minimum annual salary for an initial teacher who has
 successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation
 program or holds an initial or intern teacher license issued
 by the BOEE shall be at least $33,500. The bill increases this
 minimum annual salary to $50,000, beginning July 1, 2024. The
 bill makes conforming changes to Code chapter 257 (financing
 school programs).
    The bill requires school districts to pay to each employee
 with a license, endorsement, certification, authorization,
 or statement of recognition issued by the BOEE who has been
 employed by the school district for at least one year, and who
 has completed all periods of conditional employment with the
 school district, $5,000 each year in addition to the employee’s
 base salary. The bill establishes that this provision does not
 apply to administrators. The bill requires school districts
 to pay to each employee who serves as a teaching assistant an
 amount equal to 10 percent of the employee’s current annual
 salary each year in addition to the employee’s base salary.
    The bill establishes an educator supplement for all fund
 in the state treasury under the control of the department of
 education. The bill requires the department to distribute
 moneys from the fund to school districts in amounts necessary
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                               S.F. 2312
 to ensure that school districts compensate employees and
 teachers in accordance with the bill’s provisions. For the
 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for each succeeding
 fiscal year, the bill appropriates from the general fund of
 the state to the educator supplement for all fund the amount
 necessary to make all distributions required under the bill’s
 provisions.
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Statutes affected: 
Introduced: 284.15, 256.145, 284.17