House File 573 - 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 2487HH 82
6 kh/gg/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION == COLLEGE ENTRANCE
1 2 EXAMINATION REIMBURSEMENT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS. There is
1 3 appropriated from the general fund of the state to the
1 4 department of education for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
1 5 2007, and ending June 30, 2008, the following amount, or so
1 6 much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes of
1 7 reimbursing school districts for the costs of providing
1 8 college entrance examinations prior to a student's graduation
1 9 from high school pursuant to section 280.18:
1 10 .................................................. $ 500,000
1 11 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 280.18 COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION
1 12 == REQUIREMENT.
1 13 1. The board of directors of each school district and the
1 14 authorities in charge of each accredited nonpublic school
1 15 shall adopt a policy requiring each student to take the
1 16 college entrance examination published by the American college
1 17 testing program, inc., prior to graduating from high school.
1 18 2. If a student taking the college entrance examination
1 19 pursuant to subsection 1 is eligible for free or reduced price
1 20 meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the
1 21 federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. } 1751=1785,
1 22 the school district shall reimburse a qualifying student, or
1 23 the parent or legal guardian of a qualifying student, for the
1 24 amount of the fee for the examination paid by the student,
1 25 parent, or legal guardian, and the school district shall be
1 26 reimbursed by the department from funds appropriated to the
1 27 department for the payment of claims for examination costs
1 28 submitted by the school district.
1 29 3. To be reimbursed in accordance with subsection 2, the
1 30 qualifying student, or parent or legal guardian of a
1 31 qualifying student, attending an accredited nonpublic school,
1 32 or receiving competent private instruction, who paid the
1 33 college entrance examination fee, shall submit a claim to the
1 34 school district in which the student resides, by August 15, on
1 35 a form approved by the department, which includes proof of the
2 1 amount of fee paid for the examination by the individual and
2 2 proof that the qualifying student took the examination and
2 3 received a score from the American college testing program,
2 4 inc.
2 5 4. By September 1 of the school year following the school
2 6 year in which the college entrance examination fees were paid,
2 7 the school district shall submit its claims for reimbursements
2 8 paid pursuant to subsection 1 to the department of education.
2 9 5. By October 1 of the school year following the school
2 10 year in which the college entrance examination fees were paid,
2 11 the department of education shall distribute to each school
2 12 district, from moneys appropriated to the department for this
2 13 purpose, an amount of aid to each school district that
2 14 submitted claims as provided in subsection 3, equal to the
2 15 total amount of the college entrance examination fee
2 16 reimbursements paid by the school district. If the funds
2 17 appropriated for the reimbursement of college entrance
2 18 examination costs are insufficient to reimburse school
2 19 districts as provided in this section, the department shall
2 20 prorate the amount distributed to school districts based upon
2 21 the amount appropriated. A school district shall be
2 22 reimbursed for the costs of reimbursing examination fees for
2 23 the same student only once.
2 24 6. The costs of reimbursing college entrance examination
2 25 fees as provided in this section shall not be included in the
2 26 computation of district cost under chapter 257, but shall be
2 27 shown in the budget as an expense from miscellaneous income.
2 28 Any moneys received by a school district for the payment of
2 29 student college entrance examination fees under this section
2 30 shall not affect district cost limitations of chapter 257.
2 31 The moneys paid to a school district as provided in this
2 32 section are miscellaneous income as defined in section 257.2.
2 33 7. "Qualifying student", for purposes of this section,
2 34 means a student who took a college entrance examination
2 35 pursuant to this section and received the examination results
3 1 from the American college testing program, inc.
3 2 EXPLANATION
3 3 This bill requires the board of directors of each school
3 4 district and the authorities in charge of each accredited
3 5 nonpublic school to adopt a policy requiring each student to
3 6 take the college entrance examination published by the
3 7 American college testing program, inc., prior to graduating
3 8 from high school. School districts must reimburse the
3 9 examination fee amounts paid by or for students who are
3 10 eligible for free or reduced price meals, but the school
3 11 districts shall be reimbursed by the department of education
3 12 from moneys appropriated to the department to pay for those
3 13 costs.
3 14 For FY 2007=2008, the bill appropriates $500,000 to the
3 15 department to reimburse school districts that submit claims to
3 16 the department.
3 17 To be reimbursed, the student, or the student's parent or
3 18 guardian who paid the fee amount for an examination for a
3 19 public or nonpublic student or a student receiving competent
3 20 private instruction who is eligible for free or reduced price
3 21 meals, shall submit a claim to the school district in which
3 22 the student resides. The claim must include proof of the
3 23 amount paid and proof that the student took the exam and
3 24 received the results.
3 25 If the moneys appropriated are insufficient to pay for all
3 26 of the claims submitted to the department, the department is
3 27 directed to prorate the amount distributed to school districts
3 28 based upon the amount appropriated. A school district shall
3 29 be reimbursed for the reimbursement of examination fees for a
3 30 specific student only once.
3 31 LSB 2487HH 82
3 32 kh:rj/gg/14