This bill amends various provisions related to education in Iowa, specifically focusing on community college reporting requirements, the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program, and the Iowa school for the deaf. It requires community colleges to submit annual data directly to the Department of Education (DE), including individual-level data, and modifies the deadlines for these submissions to ensure timely reporting to the state board and the general assembly. The bill also mandates that the annual condition of community colleges report include educational and employment outcomes, as well as data on the proportion of females and minorities enrolled in STEM programs.

Additionally, the bill clarifies employment contract provisions for instructors at community colleges. It specifies that instructors who provide credit-bearing instruction that constitutes more than half of their workload are considered teachers, while adjunct, continuing education, and noncredit instructors are excluded from this definition. The bill also extends certain discharge procedures to employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired and the Iowa school for the deaf, regardless of their licensing status, and establishes an annual compensation schedule for these employees in consultation with the DE.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.7, 260C.14, 279.12, 279.14