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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 258B.1 STATEWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL
1 2 EDUCATION STRATEGY.
1 3 1. It is in the interest of the citizens of Iowa that a
1 4 comprehensive environmental education initiative be undertaken
1 5 that will result in environmentally literate and responsible
1 6 citizens who will effectively and constructively solve
1 7 existing environmental problems, prevent new environmental
1 8 problems, and maintain a sustainable environment for future
1 9 Iowans. A healthy economy is intimately linked to a healthy
1 10 environment. The appropriate audiences for environmental
1 11 education include both formal and nonformal audiences,
1 12 business, labor, governments, nonprofit entities, and
1 13 citizens.
1 14 2. The goal of this initiative is to assure that Iowans
1 15 are environmentally literate. An environmentally literate
1 16 citizen is committed to lifelong learning and understands the
1 17 following:
1 18 a. Basic principles of ecology, sociology, and economics.
1 19 b. The interconnection of all parts of the environment.
1 20 c. The environmental and social costs and benefits of
1 21 consumer decisions.
1 22 d. Sources of energy, the improving of energy efficiency,
1 23 and the relationships between energy use and life styles.
1 24 e. The implications of economic and population trends.
1 25 f. The impacts of personal life styles and personal
1 26 choices.
1 27 g. The importance of acting in a sustainable and
1 28 constructive manner to protect the quality and diversity of
1 29 the natural world.
1 30 3. An environmental education commission, an office of
1 31 environmental education, a consortium for environmental
1 32 education, an interagency environmental education committee, a
1 33 state plan, a curriculum framework, teacher and undergraduate
1 34 environmental programs, a preschool environmental education
1 35 program, nonformal environmental education assistance
2 1 programs, and a finance and grants program shall be
2 2 established to achieve the goal of accomplishing this
2 3 initiative.
2 4 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 258B.2 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
2 5 COMMISSION.
2 6 1. An Iowa environmental education commission is created
2 7 and attached for administrative purposes to the Iowa
2 8 department of education. The commission shall identify needs
2 9 and set priorities for environmental education within the
2 10 state. The commission shall report to the state board of
2 11 education, the governor, and the general assembly every two
2 12 years. The office of environmental education shall staff the
2 13 commission.
2 14 The governor shall appoint members of the commission for
2 15 staggered three-year terms pursuant to sections 69.16, 69.16A,
2 16 and 69.19. The commission shall be composed of fifteen
2 17 members and the membership shall include representation from
2 18 both government and nongovernmental entities and shall consist
2 19 of one member who has experience in environmental education
2 20 and represents each of the following entities:
2 21 a. American camping association, Iowa section.
2 22 b. Business community.
2 23 c. Conservation organization.
2 24 d. Elementary teacher.
2 25 e. Farm organization.
2 26 f. Iowa association of county conservation board
2 27 employees.
2 28 g. Iowa association of naturalists.
2 29 h. Iowa conservation education council.
2 30 i. Iowa state university of science and technology.
2 31 j. Interagency environmental education council.
2 32 k. High school teacher.
2 33 l. Middle school teacher.
2 34 m. Organized labor.
2 35 n. State university of Iowa.
3 1 o. University of northern Iowa.
3 2 2. The commission shall provide advice and assistance to
3 3 the governor, the general assembly, the office of
3 4 environmental education, the consortium for environmental
3 5 education, and other state agencies on policies and practices
3 6 needed to implement environmental education in Iowa. The
3 7 commission shall provide assistance to and obtain information
3 8 from the interagency environmental education committee to
3 9 coordinate the environmental education programs of state
3 10 agencies.
3 11 3. The commission shall develop and implement an
3 12 environmental education grants program. The office of
3 13 environmental education shall administer the program. The
3 14 commission shall adopt rules establishing the grant program.
3 15 Grants under this section shall not be used to replace funding
3 16 from existing sources.
3 17 4. The allocation of funds in the environmental education
3 18 trust fund established in section 258B.11 shall be determined
3 19 by the commission.
3 20 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 258B.3 OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
3 21 EDUCATION.
3 22 1. An office of environmental education is established and
3 23 administratively attached to the Iowa department of education.
3 24 An environmental educator recommended by the environmental
3 25 education commission to the department of education shall be
3 26 the full-time supervisor of the office. The office shall be
3 27 staffed by appropriately trained personnel.
3 28 2. The office of environmental education shall do all of
3 29 the following:
3 30 a. Develop and publish a plan for environmental education
3 31 with assistance from the interagency environmental education
3 32 committee and approval of the environmental education
3 33 commission.
3 34 b. Assess the status of environmental literacy of the
3 35 state's students, teachers, and citizens every four years.
4 1 c. Review the state's plan for environmental education
4 2 every four years at the direction of the environmental
4 3 education commission and with the assistance of the
4 4 interagency environmental education committee, revise the plan
4 5 as needed, and transmit the plan to the governor and the
4 6 general assembly.
4 7 d. Assist the environmental education commission in the
4 8 administration and valuation of the environmental education
4 9 grants program.
4 10 e. Promote and aid in the establishment and evaluation of
4 11 school environmental education programs for preschool through
4 12 grade twelve.
4 13 f. Promote and aid in the development of preservice and
4 14 inservice environmental education programs for educators
4 15 through cooperation with groups including, but not limited to,
4 16 the Iowa conservation education council, Iowa's colleges and
4 17 universities, and the environmental education consortium.
4 18 g. Cooperate with federal and state agencies and the
4 19 private sector in developing, promoting, and evaluating
4 20 environmental education programs.
4 21 h. Function as an environmental education clearinghouse by
4 22 doing all of the following:
4 23 (1) Reviewing and recommending environmental education
4 24 materials.
4 25 (2) Cooperating with state agencies and organizations in
4 26 the development and distribution of an environmental education
4 27 newsletter.
4 28 (3) Establishing an electronic capacity to disseminate
4 29 data bases of environmental education information and to
4 30 network with intrastate, interstate, and federal programs.
4 31 i. Promote the development of cooperative environmental
4 32 education initiatives with the private sector.
4 33 j. Facilitate and encourage formal and nonformal
4 34 environmental education programs; facilitate, encourage, and
4 35 support multi-school districts' cooperative efforts to assess
5 1 the need for, develop, and evaluate environmental education
5 2 curricula, promote state government and private sector policy
5 3 that is consistent with the environmental education plan
5 4 established in this legislation, and assist in the
5 5 coordination of formal and nonformal environmental education
5 6 with the kindergarten through grade twelve and postsecondary
5 7 environmental education programs.
5 8 k. Initiate research on environmental education as called
5 9 for in the environmental education plan by issuing contracts
5 10 to organizations, colleges, universities, and other research-
5 11 based institutions.
5 12 l. Coordinate environmental education conferences to
5 13 assist in the dissemination, development, and achievement of
5 14 the state's environmental education plan.
5 15 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 258B.4 INTERAGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL
5 16 EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
5 17 1. An interagency environmental education committee is
5 18 established. The committee shall be composed of individuals
5 19 with knowledge in environmental education and the members
5 20 shall be employees appointed by each agency head. These
5 21 agencies may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the
5 22 departments of agriculture and land stewardship, cultural
5 23 affairs, education, economic development, human services,
5 24 natural resources, public health, and transportation, the
5 25 state board of regents, and the attorney general's office.
5 26 The chair shall be elected by the members.
5 27 2. Members of the committee shall serve as environmental
5 28 education coordinators for their respective agencies. They
5 29 shall direct an assessment of their own agency's target
5 30 audiences and develop appropriate programs to educate these
5 31 audiences regarding environmental issues. The committee shall
5 32 establish subcommittees as needed and assist with the
5 33 development and implementation of the state's environmental
5 34 education plan.
5 35 3. The committee shall develop and maintain a memorandum
6 1 of understanding to specify methods by which the agencies can
6 2 share their resources to benefit environmental education in
6 3 the state.
6 4 4. The committee shall promote networking, coordination,
6 5 and cooperation among state agencies, promote the efficient
6 6 distribution of information, and facilitate the planning and
6 7 development of educational programs and materials. The
6 8 department of education is responsible for convening and
6 9 facilitating the functions of the committee.
6 10 5. Members of the committee are not eligible to receive
6 11 any separate compensation and are not eligible for
6 12 reimbursement of expenses from the committee.
6 13 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 258B.5 IOWA CONSORTIUM FOR
6 14 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.
6 15 1. A consortium for environmental education is established
6 16 as a cooperative effort of the three state universities. The
6 17 consortium shall be staffed by faculty from all three state
6 18 universities and other interested four-year colleges in Iowa.
6 19 The consortium shall be administratively attached to the
6 20 environmental education commission. The purposes of the
6 21 consortium shall be to do all of the following:
6 22 a. Provide graduate level and continuing environmental
6 23 education courses for educators.
6 24 b. Develop and maintain a resource library for
6 25 environmental educators that includes curriculum materials,
6 26 software, and audiovisual materials and work toward electronic
6 27 access of these materials in the state.
6 28 c. Provide assistance to schools in the development of
6 29 their environmental education curricula.
6 30 d. Coordinate conferences to plan and implement
6 31 environmental education.
6 32 e. Aid educators in conducting research on environmental
6 33 education strategies and developing appropriate student
6 34 participation in addressing environmental issues.
6 35 f. Coordinate with local, state, regional, and federal
7 1 environmental education training centers.
7 2 g. Administer the office of adult environmental education
7 3 established under section 258B.6.
7 4 2. Funding of the consortium shall be pursuant to an
7 5 annual appropriation made by the general assembly to finance
7 6 the staff, travel, and supplies necessary to carry out these
7 7 functions and to support a grant program for research in
7 8 environmental education.
7 9 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION. 258B.6 OFFICE OF ADULT
7 10 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.
7 11 1. An office of adult environmental education shall be
7 12 established and staffed by the consortium for environmental
7 13 education. The office for adult environmental education shall
7 14 be responsible for developing, coordinating, implementing, and
7 15 evaluating environmental education programs for a wide variety
7 16 of adult audiences in Iowa.
7 17 2. The responsibilities of the office of adult
7 18 environmental education shall include, but not be limited to:
7 19 a. Quadrennial assessment of the status of environmental
7 20 literacy, responsibility, and stewardship among adult Iowans.
7 21 b. Assessment of the effectiveness of adult programs of
7 22 environmental and conservation education which are currently
7 23 available.
7 24 c. Development and implementation of a strategy for
7 25 providing environmental education programs for adult audiences
7 26 in Iowa.
7 27 d. Service as a clearinghouse and coordinating agency to
7 28 assist in unifying educational efforts and provide
7 29 environmental education resources for existing groups.
7 30 e. Coordination of the use of public and private funding
7 31 partnerships to encourage cooperative environmental education
7 32 efforts among groups with similar goals and to improve the
7 33 distribution and dissemination of environmental educational
7 34 materials.
7 35 f. Administration of a grant program which shall fund
8 1 environmental education programs for targeted adult audiences.
8 2 g. Development of an electronic database for current and
8 3 locally specific information on the environment, natural
8 4 resources, and environmental education programs and materials.
8 5 Sec. 7. NEW SECTION. 258B.7 GRANTS PROGRAM.
8 6 The environmental education commission shall award grants
8 7 annually to organizations, agencies, institutions, and
8 8 individuals for the development, dissemination, and evaluation
8 9 of environmental education programs. Proposals addressing
8 10 needs and priorities identified by the commission or included
8 11 in the state plan for environmental education shall receive
8 12 priority. The staff of the office of environmental education
8 13 shall administer the grants program and develop an evaluation
8 14 plan. The environmental education commission shall adopt
8 15 rules establishing specific criteria and guidelines for the
8 16 grants program. An annual appropriation shall be provided to
8 17 fund the grants program.
8 18 Sec. 8. NEW SECTION. 258B.8 UNDERGRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL
8 19 EDUCATION &endash; GRANTS PROGRAM.
8 20 A grant program is established to enable the development
8 21 and implementation of an environmental issues course at
8 22 postsecondary institutions of higher education. Grants shall
8 23 be available only to those institutions which will implement
8 24 the course across all curricula as a requirement for all
8 25 undergraduate students, regardless of major. The grant
8 26 program shall be administered according to criteria and
8 27 guidelines established by the environmental education
8 28 commission and shall be awarded by the office of environmental
8 29 education.
8 30 Sec. 9. NEW SECTION. 258B.9 ASSISTANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
8 31 EDUCATION.
8 32 1. The goal of providing financial assistance for
8 33 environmental education shall be to provide a minimum of one
8 34 environmental education staff person for every three to four
8 35 thousand pupils in grades kindergarten through grade twelve in
9 1 a county.
9 2 2. Financial assistance shall be provided to county
9 3 conservation boards to support the hiring of professional
9 4 environmental educators to assist schools and nonformal
9 5 education sectors in planning and leading environmental
9 6 education programs. The financial assistance shall be used to
9 7 provide staff and equipment for these programs and shall not
9 8 be used for the construction or maintenance of parks,
9 9 buildings, or other physical facilities. The financial
9 10 assistance shall not replace existing county moneys budgeted
9 11 for environmental education. Financial assistance shall be
9 12 provided as follows:
9 13 a. Ten thousand one hundred dollars shall be allocated to
9 14 each county, regardless of population. One million one
9 15 hundred thousand dollars shall be divided among eligible
9 16 counties on a population-based formula detailed in paragraphs
9 17 "b" through "d".
9 18 b. A county shall be declared eligible if the county
9 19 submits certification that the county will do both of the
9 20 following:
9 21 (1) Provide county funding or support equivalent to one
9 22 cent per thousand dollars of the assessed value of taxable
9 23 property in the county or thirty-five thousand dollars,
9 24 whichever is less, according to a formula outlined in
9 25 paragraph "c", for environmental education.
9 26 (2) Explain how the financial assistance will be spent for
9 27 environmental education.
9 28 c. In order to meet county funding or support
9 29 requirements, county conservation boards may include the
9 30 dollar equivalent of the following county support:
9 31 (1) Salaries and benefits for all full-time and part-time
9 32 naturalists, environmental education coordinators,
9 33 environmental program specialists, and other positions whose
9 34 responsibilities lie solely within the county conservation
9 35 board's environmental education program.
10 1 (2) For staff positions involving some responsibilities
10 2 outside the environmental education program, such as a ranger,
10 3 a percentage of the salary and benefits equal to that portion
10 4 of time devoted specifically to the environmental education
10 5 program.
10 6 (3) Operation and maintenance, but not purchase, of a
10 7 county vehicle designated to be used specifically by the
10 8 environmental education program staff.
10 9 (4) Funds budgeted specifically for the environmental
10 10 education program, including, but not limited to: program
10 11 supplies, office supplies, telephone and communications,
10 12 uniforms, newsletters and other public relations tools,
10 13 publicity, library and resource materials, printing or
10 14 purchase of environmental and conservation education resource
10 15 materials, travel, and professional development workshops and
10 16 conferences.
10 17 The costs of construction or maintenance of parks,
10 18 buildings or any physical facilities shall specifically not be
10 19 used to meet the county funding or support requirements.
10 20 d. Counties declared eligible shall receive financial
10 21 assistance under this section according to the following
10 22 formula: official population figure of the county according
10 23 to the most recent federal decennial census times forty cents.
10 24 e. In order to fulfill the county funding or support
10 25 requirements of this section, county conservation boards may
10 26 contract with private nature centers, camps, or other private
10 27 or public entities to provide these environmental education
10 28 services. The boards shall submit an annual report to the
10 29 office of environmental education demonstrating and certifying
10 30 the proper use of these funds.
10 31 f. The focus of this financial assistance shall be, but is
10 32 not limited to: helping teachers, group leaders, and other
10 33 environmental educators to plan, develop, and implement
10 34 environmental education programs, including leading outdoor
10 35 environmental education classes for all ages and for both
11 1 formal and nonformal educational groups; providing program
11 2 resources such as environmental education activity guides and
11 3 curricula, learning kits, audiovisual materials, literature,
11 4 and equipment; and interpreting Iowa's natural and cultural
11 5 resources and how to use them wisely.
11 6 3. Financial assistance of three hundred thousand dollars
11 7 shall be provided to the Iowa department of natural resources
11 8 to provide interpretation of Iowa's natural resources and
11 9 assistance in planning and leading programs in environmental
11 10 education for nonformal education entities and schools.
11 11 a. Financial assistance shall be provided to the parks and
11 12 preserves division of the department of natural resources for
11 13 one full-time statewide coordinator and a full-time
11 14 interpreter or environmental educator in each of the four park
11 15 districts in the state.
11 16 b. Financial assistance shall be provided for needed
11 17 equipment, travel, printing, and supplies for each of these
11 18 educators.
11 19 c. The department of natural resources may contract with
11 20 private nature centers, camps, or other private or public
11 21 entities to provide these environmental education services.
11 22 Sec. 10. NEW SECTION. 258B.10 RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL
11 23 EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
11 24 1. A residential environmental education program is
11 25 created to recognize the critical role that both direct
11 26 experience with the outdoors and the important role that a
11 27 several day residential experience away from home and the
11 28 formal school environment play in the formation of an
11 29 environmentally literate citizenry.
11 30 2. Phase I of the program shall provide supplemental
11 31 funding of thirty-five dollars per pupil to school districts
11 32 that choose to provide for the attendance of the pupils in one
11 33 grade level at a certified residential environmental education
11 34 center. To receive this funding, school districts must
11 35 provide proof of attendance by their pupils at such a center
12 1 and participation by pupils in a certified program for a
12 2 minimum of three consecutive days for each pupil. Local
12 3 school districts shall choose the grade level and the time of
12 4 year they feel is most developmentally appropriate for this
12 5 residential experience.
12 6 3. Phase II of the program shall consist of all of the
12 7 following:
12 8 a. Development of certification criteria for facilities,
12 9 staff, and programs.
12 10 b. Census of existing facilities, staff, and programs
12 11 relative to the certification criteria.
12 12 c. Assessment of the needs of these facilities.
12 13 4. The program shall be administered by the office of
12 14 environmental education.
12 15 Sec. 11. NEW SECTION. 258B.11 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
12 16 TRUST FUND.
12 17 A separate environmental education trust fund is created in
12 18 the state treasury under the control of the environmental
12 19 education commission. All moneys appropriated or otherwise
12 20 credited to the fund and the interest the moneys accrue are
12 21 appropriated to the environmental education commission to
12 22 accomplish the purposes of this chapter. All moneys in the
12 23 fund shall only be used for environmental education. The
12 24 environmental education commission shall develop a plan for
12 25 the expenditure of moneys in the fund. Notwithstanding
12 26 section 8.33, moneys remaining in the fund at the end of any
12 27 fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state.
12 28 Sec. 12. Section 272.25, Code 1995, is amended by adding
12 29 the following new subsection:
12 30 NEW SUBSECTION. 6A. A requirement that practitioner
12 31 preparation students receive instruction to acquire the
12 32 content and teaching skills necessary to effectively instruct
12 33 pupils in preschool through grade twelve in the principles of
12 34 environmental education, including instruction in ecological
12 35 concepts, environmental issues and problems, developmentally
13 1 appropriate methods, and use of a variety of instructional
13 2 curriculum models and materials.
13 3 Sec. 13. NEW SECTION. 272.35 CONTINUING EDUCATION &endash;
13 4 KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE TEACHERS.
13 5 The board shall adopt rules to provide for staff
13 6 development training incorporating environmental education
13 7 proficiencies pursuant to section 272.25, subsection 6A, for
13 8 an initial applicant for licensure or an applicant for renewal
13 9 who has not completed a course providing environmental
13 10 education proficiencies or an equivalent.
13 11 Sec. 14. APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the
13 12 general fund of the state to the environmental education trust
13 13 fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1995, and ending
13 14 June 30, 1996, the following amount to be used for the
13 15 purposes outlined in chapter 258B:
13 16 .................................................. $ 5,800,000
13 17 EXPLANATION
13 18 This bill establishes an environmental education strategy
13 19 for the state of Iowa. An environmental education commission
13 20 is established in the department of education. The governor
13 21 is to appoint 15 members to the commission from designated
13 22 entities.
13 23 The bill also establishes a state office of environmental
13 24 education for all of Iowa's citizens from preschoolers to
13 25 adults. The office is administratively attached to the
13 26 department of education to establish and coordinate a plan for
13 27 the state. The office is to serve as a clearinghouse, a
13 28 database headquarters, and to coordinate with federal and
13 29 state agencies, and the private sector in developing and
13 30 implementing environmental education strategies. A grants
13 31 program is also established to be administered by the office
13 32 of environmental education. A program for adult environmental
13 33 education is established within the office of environmental
13 34 education.
13 35 An interagency environmental education committee is
14 1 established to coordinate efforts among state agencies to
14 2 promote and assist in providing environmental education
14 3 programs in the state.
14 4 The Iowa consortium for environmental education is created
14 5 to be a cooperative venture of the three state universities
14 6 and other interested four-year private colleges. The
14 7 consortium is responsible for the development of curriculum
14 8 including undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education
14 9 courses for educators, and for the maintenance of a resource
14 10 library.
14 11 The bill requires that students preparing to become
14 12 educators be able to demonstrate competencies in environmental
14 13 studies and that staff development courses be established for
14 14 existing educators to acquire the same competencies. The bill
14 15 also provides for grant moneys to undergraduate institutions
14 16 to develop a course on environmental issues that would be
14 17 required for all undergraduate students at some colleges and
14 18 universities.
14 19 A funding program is established for county conservation
14 20 boards, including a formula to determine eligibility of each
14 21 county board. The Iowa department of natural resources is
14 22 also provided funding for the parks and preserves division.
14 23 The bill also provides for reimbursements of $35 to a
14 24 school district per public school pupil who spends three
14 25 consecutive days at a certified residential environmental
14 26 education center.
14 27 The bill creates a separate environmental education trust
14 28 fund within the state treasury and provides for an
14 29 appropriation of $5,800,000 to the department of education for
14 30 the environmental education trust fund for the fiscal year
14 31 beginning July 1, 1995, and ending June 30, 1996.
14 32 LSB 1404SS 76
14 33 cl/jw/5
Text: SF00248 Text: SF00250 Text: SF00200 - SF00299 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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