House File 693 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY FORD
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act requiring secondary school students to take a college
2 entrance examination prior to graduating from high school and
3 making an appropriation.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 2847YH 81
6 kh/gg/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION == POSTSECONDARY
1 2 READINESS PILOT PROGRAM. There is appropriated from the
1 3 general fund of the state to the department of education for
1 4 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30,
1 5 2006, the following amount, or so much thereof as is
1 6 necessary, to be used for the purposes of reimbursing school
1 7 districts for the costs of providing college examinations
1 8 prior to a student's graduation from high school pursuant to
1 9 section 256.11, subsection 16:
1 10 .................................................. $ 500,000
1 11 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, Code 2005, is amended by adding
1 12 the following new subsection:
1 13 NEW SUBSECTION. 16. a. The board of directors of each
1 14 school district and the authorities in charge of each
1 15 accredited nonpublic school shall adopt a policy requiring
1 16 each student to take the college entrance examination
1 17 published by the American college testing program, inc., prior
1 18 to graduating from high school.
1 19 b. If a student taking the college entrance examination
1 20 pursuant to this subsection is eligible for free or reduced
1 21 price meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and
1 22 the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. } 1751=
1 23 1785, the fee for the examination shall be paid by the school
1 24 district, and the school district shall be reimbursed by the
1 25 department from funds appropriated to the department for the
1 26 payment of claims for examination costs submitted by the
1 27 school district. To receive a reimbursement for the fees paid
1 28 pursuant to this paragraph, a school district shall certify to
1 29 the department the number of students enrolled in the school
1 30 district or accredited nonpublic school located within the
1 31 school district who took the examinations who are eligible for
1 32 free or reduced price meals. The cost of the examinations
1 33 paid by the school district shall not be included in the
1 34 computation of district cost under chapter 257, but shall be
1 35 shown in the budget as an expense from miscellaneous income.
2 1 Any reimbursements for the costs of the examinations received
2 2 by a local school district shall not affect district cost
2 3 limitations of chapter 257. The reimbursements provided in
2 4 this section are miscellaneous income as defined in section
2 5 257.2. Claims shall be accompanied by an affidavit of an
2 6 officer of the public school district affirming the accuracy
2 7 of the claim. If the funds appropriated for the reimbursement
2 8 of college entrance examination costs are insufficient to
2 9 reimburse school districts as provided in this paragraph, the
2 10 department shall prorate the amount distributed to school
2 11 districts based upon the amount appropriated. A school
2 12 district shall not be reimbursed for the costs of
2 13 administering the examination to the same student more than
2 14 once.
2 15 EXPLANATION
2 16 This bill requires the board of directors of each school
2 17 district and the authorities in charge of each accredited
2 18 nonpublic school to adopt a policy requiring each student to
2 19 take the college entrance examination published by the
2 20 American college testing program, inc., prior to graduating
2 21 from high school. School districts must pay the costs of the
2 22 examinations for students who are eligible for free or reduced
2 23 price meals, but the school districts shall be reimbursed by
2 24 the department of education from moneys appropriated to the
2 25 department to pay for those costs. For FY 2005=2006, the bill
2 26 appropriates $500,000 to the department to reimburse school
2 27 districts that certify to the department the number of public
2 28 and nonpublic students taking the examinations who are
2 29 eligible for free or reduced price meals. If the moneys
2 30 appropriated are insufficient to pay for all of the claims
2 31 submitted to the department, the department is directed to
2 32 prorate the amount distributed to school districts based upon
2 33 the amount appropriated. A school district shall be
2 34 reimbursed for the payment of examination fees for a specific
2 35 student only once.
3 1 LSB 2847YH 81
3 2 kh:rj/gg/14