257.32  Area education budget review.
  1.  a.  An area education agency budget review procedure is established for the school budget review committee created in section 257.30. The school budget review committee, in addition to its duties under section 257.31, shall meet and hold hearings each year to review unusual circumstances of area education agencies, either upon the committee’s motion or upon the request of an area education agency. The committee may grant supplemental aid to the area education agency from funds appropriated to the department of education for area education agency budget review purposes, or an amount may be added to the area education agency special education support services modified supplemental amount for districts in an area or an additional amount may be added to district cost for media services or educational services for all districts in an area for the budget year either on a temporary or permanent basis, or both.
  b.  Unusual circumstances shall include but are not limited to the following:
  (1)  An unusual increase or decrease in enrollment of children requiring special education or unusual need for additional moneys for special education support services.
  (2)  Unusual need for additional moneys for media services.
  (3)  Unusual need for additional moneys for educational services.
  (4)  Unusual costs for building repair, building maintenance, or removal of environmental hazards.
  (5)  Participation by the area education agency in telecommunications, electronic, and technological development with school districts, and related staff development programs.
  2.  When the school budget review committee makes a decision under subsection 1, it shall provide written notice of its decision, including all changes, to the board of directors of the area education agency, and to the department of management and the department of education.
  3.  All decisions by the school budget review committee under this section shall be made in accordance with reasonable and uniform policies which shall be consistent with this chapter.
  4.  Failure by an area education agency to provide information or appear before the school budget review committee as requested for the accomplishment of review or hearing constitutes justification for the committee to instruct the department of administrative services to withhold payments for the area education agency until the committee’s inquiries are satisfied completely.
89 Acts, ch 135, §32; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §286; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §31, 42; 2014 Acts, ch 1013, §10

2013 amendment to subsection 1, paragraph a, applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2014; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §42
Subsection 1, paragraph a amended