Senate File 189 - Introduced SENATE FILE 189 BY MATHIS A BILL FOR An Act relating to funding for the statewide preschool program 1 for four-year-old children and including effective date and 2 applicability provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2211XS (2) 89 md/jh
S.F. 189 Section 1. Section 256C.2, subsection 1, Code 2021, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. A statewide preschool program for four-year-old children 3 is established. The purpose of the preschool program is to 4 provide an opportunity for all young children in the state to 5 enter school ready to learn by expanding voluntary access to 6 quality preschool curricula for all children who are four years 7 old. The preschool program also seeks to achieve the goal of 8 providing access to full-day preschool for all children who are 9 four years old. 10 Sec. 2. Section 256C.5, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code 11 2021, is amended to read as follows: 12 c. “Preschool budget enrollment” means the figure that is 13 equal to fifty percent of the actual enrollment of eligible 14 students in the preschool programming provided by a school 15 district approved to participate in the preschool program on 16 October 1 of the base year, or the first Monday in October if 17 October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. 18 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 19 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 20 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget 21 years beginning on or after July 1, 2021. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 Under Code chapter 256C, preschool foundation aid is 26 calculated by multiplying the school district’s preschool 27 budget enrollment by the regular program state cost per 28 pupil for the budget year. “Preschool budget enrollment” is 29 defined as the figure that is equal to 50 percent of the actual 30 enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming 31 provided by a school district approved to participate in the 32 preschool program on October 1 of the base year. This bill 33 modifies the definition to provide that the preschool budget 34 enrollment is equal to the actual enrollment of eligible 35 -1- LSB 2211XS (2) 89 md/jh 1/ 2
S.F. 189 students in the preschool programming provided by a school 1 district. 2 The bill specifies that the preschool program under Code 3 chapter 256C also seeks to achieve the goal of providing access 4 to full-day preschool for all children who are four years old. 5 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school 6 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2021. 7 -2- LSB 2211XS (2) 89 md/jh 2/ 2