Bill Text: IA HF2353 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to preschool for four-year-old children, including funding, minimum hours, and approved programs, and including effective date provisions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-02-12 - Subcommittee Meeting: 02/13/2024 12:00PM RM 102, Sup. Ct. Consult (Cancelled). [HF2353 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-HF2353-Introduced.html
House
File
2353
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2353
BY
STONE
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
preschool
for
four-year-old
children,
1
including
funding,
minimum
hours,
and
approved
programs,
and
2
including
effective
date
provisions.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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Section
1.
Section
256C.1,
Code
2024,
is
amended
by
adding
1
the
following
new
subsection:
2
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
1A.
“Approved
nonpublic
program”
means
3
an
accredited
nonpublic
school’s
program
for
four-year-old
4
children
approved
by
the
department
of
education
to
provide
5
high-quality
preschool
instruction.
6
Sec.
2.
Section
256C.3,
subsection
3,
paragraph
f,
Code
7
2024,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
8
f.
A
minimum
of
twenty
hours
per
week
of
instruction
for
9
eligible
children
whose
household
income
is
less
than
one
10
hundred
eighty-five
percent
of
the
federal
poverty
level
11
applicable
to
the
family’s
size,
and
ten
hours
per
week
of
12
instruction
for
all
other
eligible
children,
delivered
on
the
13
skills
and
knowledge
included
in
the
student
learning
standards
14
developed
for
the
preschool
program.
15
Sec.
3.
Section
256C.5,
subsection
1,
paragraph
c,
Code
16
2024,
is
amended
by
striking
the
paragraph
and
inserting
in
17
lieu
thereof
the
following:
18
c.
“Preschool
budget
enrollment”
means
the
figure
that
19
is
equal
to
the
sum
of
the
following
numbers
of
eligible
20
students
approved
to
participate
and
enrolled
in
the
preschool
21
programming
provided
by
a
school
district
on
October
1
of
the
22
base
year,
or
the
first
Monday
in
October
if
October
1
falls
on
23
a
Saturday
or
Sunday:
24
(1)
Fifty
percent
of
the
actual
enrollment
of
eligible
25
students
not
described
in
subparagraph
(2).
26
(2)
The
actual
enrollment
of
eligible
students
who
receive
27
a
minimum
of
twenty
hours
of
instruction
per
week
and
whose
28
household
income
is
less
than
one
hundred
eighty-five
percent
29
of
the
federal
poverty
level
applicable
to
the
family’s
size.
30
Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
256C.6
Nonpublic
programs.
31
1.
The
state
board
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
32
to
define
the
requirements
for
an
accredited
nonpublic
school
33
preschool
program
to
be
approved
for
the
purposes
of
qualifying
34
for
payments
from
an
education
savings
account
established
35
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pursuant
to
section
257.11B.
Such
rules
shall
not
require
an
1
approved
nonpublic
program
to
do
any
of
the
following:
2
a.
Retain
the
services
of
a
teacher
licensed
by
the
board
of
3
educational
examiners
for
the
approved
nonpublic
program.
4
b.
Partner
or
collaborate
with
a
school
district.
5
c.
Partner
or
collaborate
with
community
stakeholders.
6
2.
A
child
that
is
eligible
to
participate
in
preschool
7
programming
provided
by
an
approved
local
program
shall
also
be
8
eligible
to
participate
in
an
approved
nonpublic
program.
9
Sec.
5.
Section
257.11B,
subsection
1,
paragraph
b,
Code
10
2024,
is
amended
by
adding
the
following
new
subparagraph:
11
NEW
SUBPARAGRAPH
.
(01)
“Approved
nonpublic
program”
means
12
the
same
as
defined
in
section
256C.1.
13
Sec.
6.
Section
257.11B,
subsection
1,
paragraph
b,
14
subparagraph
(1),
Code
2024,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
15
(1)
“Qualified
educational
expenses”
includes
tuition
any
16
of
the
following:
17
(a)
Tuition
and
fees
at
a
nonpublic
school
,
textbooks,
fees
.
18
(b)
Textbooks.
19
(c)
Fees
or
payments
for
educational
therapies,
including
20
tutoring
or
cognitive
skills
training
,
curriculum
fees
.
21
(d)
Curriculum
fees
,
software,
and
materials
for
a
course
of
22
study
for
a
specific
subject
matter
or
grade
level
,
tuition
.
23
(e)
Tuition
or
fees
for
nonpublic
online
education
24
programs
,
tuition
.
25
(f)
Tuition
for
vocational
and
life
skills
education
26
approved
by
the
department
of
education
,
education
.
27
(g)
Education
materials
and
services
for
pupils
with
28
disabilities
from
an
accredited
provider,
including
the
cost
of
29
paraprofessionals
and
assistants
who
are
trained
in
accordance
30
with
state
law
,
standardized
.
31
(h)
Standardized
test
fees
,
and
advanced
.
32
(i)
Advanced
placement
examinations
or
examinations
related
33
to
postsecondary
education
admission
or
credentialing.
34
(j)
Tuition
for
an
approved
nonpublic
program.
35
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Sec.
7.
Section
257.11B,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
1
subparagraph
(2),
Code
2024,
is
amended
by
adding
the
following
2
new
subparagraph
division:
3
NEW
SUBPARAGRAPH
DIVISION
.
(e)
A
resident
pupil
who
is
4
eligible
to
enroll
in
an
approved
nonpublic
program.
5
Sec.
8.
Section
257.11B,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
6
subparagraph
(3),
Code
2024,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
7
(3)
For
school
budget
years
beginning
on
or
after
July
8
1,
2025,
resident
pupils
eligible
to
enroll
in
kindergarten
9
through
grade
twelve
or
an
approved
nonpublic
program,
and
who
10
attend
a
nonpublic
school
for
the
applicable
school
budget
11
year
shall
be
eligible
to
receive
an
education
savings
account
12
payment.
13
Sec.
9.
Section
257.11B,
subsection
4,
Code
2024,
is
amended
14
to
read
as
follows:
15
4.
Each
education
savings
account
payment
shall
be
equal
to
16
either
of
the
following:
17
a.
For
a
student
enrolled
in
kindergarten
through
grade
18
twelve,
the
regular
program
state
cost
per
pupil
for
the
same
19
school
budget
year.
20
b.
For
a
pupil
enrolled
in
an
approved
nonpublic
program,
21
the
regular
program
state
cost
per
pupil
for
the
same
school
22
budget
year
multiplied
by
fifty
percent.
23
Sec.
10.
EMERGENCY
RULES.
The
state
board
of
education
24
may
adopt
emergency
rules
under
section
17A.4,
subsection
3,
25
and
section
17A.5,
subsection
2,
paragraph
“b”,
to
implement
26
the
provisions
of
this
Act
and
the
rules
shall
be
effective
27
immediately
upon
filing
unless
a
later
date
is
specified
in
the
28
rules.
Any
rules
adopted
in
accordance
with
this
section
shall
29
also
be
published
as
a
notice
of
intended
action
as
provided
30
in
section
17A.4.
31
Sec.
11.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
32
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
33
EXPLANATION
34
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
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the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
1
This
bill
relates
to
preschool
for
four-year-old
children.
2
The
bill
requires
that
each
statewide
voluntary
preschool
3
program
(SVPP)
offered
by
a
school
district
to
include
20
hours
4
of
instruction
per
week
for
children
whose
household
income
is
5
below
185
percent
of
the
federal
poverty
level
(FPL)
applicable
6
to
the
family’s
size.
Currently,
each
SVPP
is
only
required
to
7
offer
10
hours
of
instruction
per
week
for
an
enrolled
child.
8
A
school
district
with
an
approved
SVPP
is
funded
in
part
by
9
preschool
foundation
aid
payments.
The
preschool
foundation
10
aid
is
calculated
by
multiplying
the
regular
program
state
cost
11
per
pupil
by
the
school
district’s
preschool
budget
enrollment.
12
Currently,
the
preschool
budget
enrollment
for
a
given
year
13
is
calculated
by
multiplying
the
number
of
eligible
students
14
enrolled
in
the
preschool
program
by
50
percent.
15
The
bill
changes
the
calculation
for
preschool
budget
16
enrollment
to
the
sum
of
the
actual
number
of
eligible
17
students
who
receive
20
hours
per
week
of
instruction
and
whose
18
household
income
is
less
than
185
percent
of
the
FPL
plus
50
19
percent
of
all
other
eligible
students.
20
The
education
savings
account
(ESA)
program
is
a
program
21
established
to
assist
pupils
who
attend
nonpublic
schools
in
22
paying
for
qualified
educational
expenses
including
but
not
23
limited
to
tuition,
tutoring
or
cognitive
skill
training
fees,
24
educational
therapy
costs,
software
expenses,
and
expenses
25
related
to
course
materials.
Under
current
law,
students
26
enrolled
in
a
preschool
program
are
not
eligible
for
the
ESA
27
program.
28
The
bill
defines
“approved
nonpublic
program”
as
an
29
accredited
nonpublic
school’s
program
for
four-year-old
30
children
approved
by
the
department
of
education
to
provide
31
high-quality
preschool
instruction.
32
The
bill
requires
the
state
board
of
education
to
adopt
rules
33
to
define
the
requirements
for
an
accredited
nonpublic
school
34
preschool
program
to
be
approved
for
the
purposes
of
qualifying
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for
payments
from
an
ESA.
The
bill
prohibits
such
rules
from
1
requiring
an
approved
nonpublic
program
to
retain
the
services
2
of
a
licensed
teacher
for
the
approved
nonpublic
program,
3
partner
or
collaborate
with
a
school
district,
or
partner
or
4
collaborate
with
community
stakeholders.
5
The
bill
provides
that
all
children
eligible
to
participate
6
in
preschool
programming
provided
by
a
school
district
through
7
the
statewide
voluntary
preschool
program
are
eligible
to
8
participate
in
an
approved
nonpublic
program.
9
The
bill
makes
tuition
for
an
approved
nonpublic
program
a
10
qualified
expense
for
the
purposes
of
the
ESA
program.
11
The
bill
makes
resident
pupils
who
are
eligible
to
enroll
in
12
an
approved
nonpublic
program
eligible
for
the
ESA
program
for
13
school
budget
years
beginning
on
or
after
July
1,
2024.
14
The
bill
sets
ESA
payments
for
pupils
enrolled
in
an
approved
15
nonpublic
school
in
an
amount
equal
to
the
regular
program
16
state
cost
per
pupil
for
the
school
budget
year
multiplied
17
by
50
percent,
which
is
the
same
amount
per
pupil
a
school
18
district
receives
for
preschool
students
under
current
law
for
19
programs
that
offer
10
hours
of
instruction
per
week.
20
The
bill
allows
the
state
board
of
education
to
adopt
21
emergency
rules
to
implement
the
provisions
of
the
bill.
22
The
bill
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
23
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