House File 2370 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2370 BY MATSON A BILL FOR An Act requiring the director of the department of education to 1 establish a low-income student and poverty weighting work 2 group. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6166YH (6) 88 md/jh

H.F. 2370 Section 1. POVERTY WEIGHTING WORK GROUP. 1 1. School funding has grown increasingly inequitable as 2 it relates to supporting socioeconomically disadvantaged 3 students. In order to meet the needs of such students and 4 to ensure access to the same opportunities that economically 5 advantaged school districts offer, school districts with higher 6 percentages of students in poverty spend more per pupil to 7 cover the cost of the students’ increased needs as compared 8 to economically advantaged school districts. Children from 9 economically disadvantaged homes often enter school with a 10 more limited vocabulary and fewer educational life experiences 11 than those from economically advantaged homes. According 12 to the child and family policy center, children living in 13 poverty are more likely than their peers to experience stress 14 and deprivation that hinders development and readiness for 15 school and life. Significant levels of poverty exist in 16 all ninety-nine counties of this state and, therefore, the 17 general assembly should consider additional ways to close the 18 opportunity gap within the funding formula. 19 2. According to the 2018 condition of education annual 20 report, forty and one-half percent of Iowa students are 21 eligible for free and reduced price meals under the federal 22 National School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act 23 of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1751-1785, the most widely used measure 24 of student poverty, including within Iowa’s methodology for 25 funding at-risk and dropout prevention programs. 26 3. The school finance formula review committee established 27 under section 257.1, subsection 4, met on December 13, 2019, 28 and recommended to the general assembly the creation of a 29 poverty weighting study committee. 30 4. The director of the department of education shall 31 establish and appoint members to a work group to examine Iowa’s 32 current methodology for determining levels of student poverty 33 and alternative methodologies available, including examination 34 of relevant studies and testimony of relevant experts, 35 -1- LSB 6166YH (6) 88 md/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 2370 determine if the current methodology effectively measures 1 the needs of low-income students, and make recommendations 2 for funding methodologies to provide additional funding to 3 school districts for students from low-income households. The 4 department of education shall work cooperatively to provide 5 staffing assistance for the work group. The work group shall 6 be composed of at least all of the following: 7 a. One member representing the Iowa association of school 8 boards. 9 b. One member representing the area education agencies. 10 c. One member representing the Iowa state education 11 association. 12 d. One member representing the school administrators of 13 Iowa. 14 e. One member representing the urban education network of 15 Iowa. 16 f. One member representing the rural school advocates of 17 Iowa. 18 g. One representative of the school district with the 19 highest basic enrollment under section 257.6 for the school 20 budget year beginning July 1, 2020. 21 h. One representative of a school district with a basic 22 enrollment under section 257.6 for the school budget year 23 beginning July 1, 2020, that is ranked in the highest one-third 24 among all school districts in the state. 25 i. One representative of a school district with a basic 26 enrollment under section 257.6 for the school budget year 27 beginning July 1, 2020, that is ranked in the middle one-third 28 among all school districts in the state. 29 j. One representative of a school district with a basic 30 enrollment under section 257.6 for the school budget year 31 beginning July 1, 2020, that is ranked in the lowest one-third 32 among all school districts in the state. 33 k. One representative of a school district located in whole 34 or in part less than one hundred miles from the eastern border 35 -2- LSB 6166YH (6) 88 md/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 2370 of this state. 1 l. One representative of a school district located in whole 2 or in part more than one hundred miles from both the eastern 3 border of this state and the western border of this state. 4 m. One representative of a school district located in whole 5 or in part less than one hundred miles from the western border 6 of this state. 7 n. Four ex officio, nonvoting legislative members 8 consisting of the following: 9 (1) Two state senators, one appointed by the majority leader 10 of the senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the 11 senate. 12 (2) Two state representatives, one appointed by the speaker 13 and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of 14 representatives. 15 5. By January 2, 2021, the work group shall submit 16 recommendations to the general assembly and the governor for 17 new or modified funding methodologies to provide additional 18 funding for students from low-income households. 19 EXPLANATION 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 21 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 22 This bill directs the director of the department of 23 education to establish a work group to examine Iowa’s current 24 methodology for determining levels of student poverty and 25 alternative methodologies available, including examination of 26 relevant studies and testimony of relevant experts, determine 27 if the current methodology effectively measures the needs of 28 low-income students, and make recommendations for funding 29 methodologies to provide additional funding for students from 30 low-income households. The bill directs the department of 31 education to work cooperatively to provide staffing assistance 32 for the work group and establishes the minimum persons 33 comprising the work group. By January 2, 2021, the work group 34 is required to submit recommendations to the general assembly 35 -3- LSB 6166YH (6) 88 md/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 2370 and the governor for new or modified funding methodologies 1 to provide additional funding for students from low-income 2 households. 3 -4- LSB 6166YH (6) 88 md/jh 4/ 4