This bill outlines the appropriations for Iowa's education system for the fiscal year 2025-2026, with significant funding directed towards the Department for the Blind, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Regents. Key allocations include $3,236,726 for the Department for the Blind and $7,293,356 for general administration within the Department of Education. The bill mandates a report from the Department of Education by January 15, 2026, detailing anti-bullying programming and expenditures. It also establishes a statewide clearinghouse for work-based learning, supports summer classes for high school students, and allocates funds for various educational initiatives, including mental health training for educators and the Iowa Reading Research Center. Notably, unencumbered or unobligated funds at the end of the fiscal year will remain available for future expenditures.

Additionally, the bill introduces new funding mechanisms, including an Iowa tuition grants fund and a vocational-technical tuition grants fund, aimed at providing financial assistance to students in accredited private institutions and vocational-technical programs. It appropriates $1,750,185 from the general fund for vocational-technical tuition grants and establishes a Court Reporter Equipment Grant Program for students in court reporter training. The bill also modifies existing laws related to tuition grants, repeals certain sections of the Code, and makes adjustments to special education funding, including a significant reduction in state aid for special education support services by $32,500,000. Furthermore, it allows the director of the department of management to deduct specific amounts from state aid allocated to school districts based on nonpublic school enrollment, ensuring adequate funding for educational services.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.7, 256.189, 8.33, 284.13, 256.219, 257.35