Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

House File 2611 - Introduced
                                  HOUSE FILE 2611
                                  BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                                  (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 714)
                            A BILL FOR
An Act relating to school funding, including the teacher salary
  supplement cost per pupil and teacher and education support
  professional compensation, and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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    Section 1. Section 257.10, subsection 9, paragraphs a and d,
 Code 2024, are amended to read as follows:
    a. (1) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2009, the
 department of management shall add together the teacher
 compensation allocation made to each district for the fiscal
 year beginning July 1, 2008, pursuant to section 284.13,
 subsection 1, paragraph “h”, Code 2009, and the phase II
 allocation made to each district for the fiscal year beginning
 July 1, 2008, pursuant to section 294A.9, Code 2009, and divide
 that sum by the district’s budget enrollment in the fiscal
 year beginning July 1, 2009, to determine the teacher salary
 supplement district cost per pupil. For the budget year
 beginning July 1, 2010, and succeeding budget years beginning
 before July 1, 2024, the teacher salary supplement district
 cost per pupil for each school district for a budget year
 is the teacher salary supplement program district cost per
 pupil for the base year plus the teacher salary supplement
 supplemental state aid amount for the budget year.
    (2) (a) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2024, the
 department of management shall calculate for each school
 district a teacher salary supplement district cost per pupil
 amount based on the sum of the following:
    (i) An amount necessary to allow the school district to
 provide a minimum teacher starting salary of forty-seven
 thousand five hundred dollars in accordance with the
 requirements of chapter 284, including costs associated with
 the employer’s share of contributions to the Iowa public
 employees’ retirement system and the employer’s share of the
 tax imposed by the federal Insurance Contributions Act.
    (ii) An amount necessary to allow the school district
 to provide an hourly wage of fifteen dollars per hour for
 education support personnel, including costs associated with
 the employer’s share of contributions to the Iowa public
 employees’ retirement system and the employer’s share of
 the tax imposed by the federal Insurance Contributions Act.
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 However, if the amount calculated under this subparagraph
 subdivision for all school districts exceeds fourteen million
 dollars, the department of management shall proportionally
 reduce the amount calculated for school districts, based on the
 original calculation, so that the total amount calculated for
 all school districts is fourteen million dollars.
    (b) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2025, the
 department of management shall calculate for each school
 district a teacher salary supplement district cost per pupil
 amount based on the sum of the following:
    (i) An amount necessary to allow the school district to
 provide a minimum teacher starting salary of fifty thousand
 dollars in accordance with the requirements of chapter 284,
 including costs associated with the employer’s share of
 contributions to the Iowa public employees’ retirement system
 and the employer’s share of the tax imposed by the federal
 Insurance Contributions Act.
    (ii) To allow each school district to provide an hourly wage
 of fifteen dollars per hour to education support personnel, the
 amount calculated for the base year under subparagraph division
 (a), subparagraph subdivision (ii), after the reduction if
 applicable, plus the product of that same amount multiplied
 by the categorical percent of growth under section 257.8,
 subsection 2, for the budget year.
    (3) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2026, and
 succeeding budget years, the teacher salary supplement district
 cost per pupil for each school district for a budget year
 is the teacher salary supplement program district cost per
 pupil for the base year plus the teacher salary supplement
 supplemental state aid amount for the budget year.
    d. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2010, and
 succeeding budget years, the use of the funds calculated under
 this subsection or available for use as provided in subsection
 10, paragraph “d”, subsection 12, paragraph “d”, or section
 257.46, subsection 3, shall be distributed to teachers pursuant
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 to section 284.3A and shall comply in compliance with the
 requirements of chapter 284 related to such distribution under
 section 284.3A and may be distributed to education support
 personnel as described in paragraph “a”.
    Sec. 2. Section 257.10, subsection 9, Code 2024, is amended
 by adding the following new paragraph:
    NEW PARAGRAPH. e. For purposes of this subsection,
 “education support personnel” means regular and part-time
 employees of a school district who are not salaried.
    Sec. 3. 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 described
 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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 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. 4. Section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph a,
 subparagraph (1), Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
    (1) (a) The For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, 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 forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars, which
 shall also constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
    (b) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and 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 fifty thousand dollars, which
 shall also constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
    Sec. 5. 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, the beginning
 teacher shall be paid not less than thirty-three forty-seven
 thousand five hundred dollars and. For the fiscal year
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 beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, the
 beginning teacher shall be paid not less than fifty thousand
 dollars. Each beginning teacher shall meet the following
 requirements:
    Sec. 6. Section 284.17, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended
 to read as follows:
    1. a. A For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the
 minimum salary of thirty-three forty-seven thousand five
 hundred dollars for a full-time teacher.
    b. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each
 subsequent fiscal year, the minimum salary of fifty thousand
 dollars for a full-time teacher.
    Sec. 7. SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING SUPPLEMENT —— FISCAL YEAR
 2024-2025.
    1. There is appropriated from the general fund of the state
 to the department of education for the fiscal year beginning
 July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, twenty-two million
 dollars to make all payments to school districts required under
 subsection 2.
    2. a. Moneys appropriated to the department of education
 under subsection 1 shall be used to provide a funding
 supplement to each school district during the fiscal year
 beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025.
    b. Each school district’s funding supplement amount shall
 be equal to twenty-two million dollars multiplied by the
 quotient of the school district’s budget enrollment for the
 budget year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024,
 divided by the statewide total budget enrollment for the budget
 year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024.
    c. Moneys received by a school district under this section
 shall be miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257 and
 shall not be included in district cost.
    d. The school district funding supplement received by a
 school district under this section shall be used at the school
 district’s discretion to supplement teacher salaries and the
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 salaries and wages of education support personnel in a manner
 that promotes quality teaching and rewards experience.
    3. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys appropriated in
 this section that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the
 close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain
 available for expenditure for the purposes designated until the
 close of the succeeding fiscal year.
    4. The payment of funding supplement amounts under this
 section shall be paid by the department of education at
 the same time and in the same manner as the teacher salary
 supplement is paid under section 257.10, subsection 9, for the
 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025.
                           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 school funding, including the teacher
 salary supplement cost per pupil and teacher and education
 support professional compensation.
    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 board of educational examiners (BOEE) shall be at least
 $33,500. For the 2024-2025 school year, the bill increases the
 minimum teacher starting salary to $47,500. For school years
 beginning on or after July 1, 2026, the bill increases the
 minimum teacher starting salary to $50,000.
    The bill defines “education support personnel” as regular
 and part-time employees of a school district who are not
 salaried.
    For the budget year beginning July 1, 2024, the department of
 management must calculate a teacher salary supplement district
 cost per pupil in an amount equal to the sum of the amount
 necessary to allow the school district to provide the minimum
 starting teacher salary and the amount necessary, not to exceed
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 $14 million in the aggregate among all school districts, to
 allow each school district to provide a minimum education
 support personnel (ESP) wage of $15 per hour including costs
 associated with the employer’s share of contributions to the
 Iowa public employees’ retirement system and the employer’s
 share of the tax imposed by the federal Insurance Contributions
 Act. The bill requires similar calculations in the budget year
 beginning July 1, 2025, to account for the increase in the
 minimum annual teacher salary. The bill also provides that the
 amount calculated related to ESP shall grow by the categorical
 state percent of growth. For budget years beginning on or
 after July 1, 2026, the teacher salary supplement district cost
 per pupil for each school district for a budget year is the
 teacher salary supplement program district cost per pupil for
 the base year plus the teacher salary supplement supplemental
 state aid amount for the budget year, which is the calculation
 used for the budget year 2023-2024.
    The bill appropriates $22 million to the department of
 education (DE) for FY 2024-2025 to provide a funding supplement
 to each school district to be used at the school district’s
 discretion to supplement teacher salaries and the salaries and
 wages of ESP in a manner that promotes quality teaching and
 rewards experience. Each school district’s funding supplement
 amount will be an amount equal to $22 million multiplied by
 the quotient of the school district’s budget enrollment for
 the budget year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30,
 2024, divided by the statewide total budget enrollment for the
 budget year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024.
 The moneys appropriated to the DE that remain unencumbered or
 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year do not revert but
 remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated
 until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. The payment of
 funding supplement amounts must be paid by the DE at the same
 time and in the same manner as the teacher salary supplement
 district cost is paid for FY 2024-2025.
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 The bill makes conforming changes.
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Statutes affected: 
Introduced: 257.10, 284.15, 256.145, 284.17