HF 2468 (LSB 5872YH (3) 90)

HOUSE FILE 2468

BY  KURTH, CAHILL, WILBURN, JAMES, CROKEN, BAGNIEWSKI, SRINIVAS, WILSON, STAED, AMOS JR., STECKMAN, KRESSIG, MADISON, EHLERT, GJERDE, BUCK, and BROWN-POWERS

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to statewide voluntary preschool programs, including minimum hours of instruction and funding.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256C.3, subsection 3, paragraph f, Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
   f.  A minimum of ten twenty hours per week of instruction delivered on the skills and knowledge included in the student learning standards developed for the preschool program.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256C.5, subsection 1, paragraphs c and d, Code 2024, are amended to read as follows:
   c.  “Preschool budget enrollment” means the figure that is equal to fifty percent of the actual enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming provided by a school district approved to participate in the preschool program on October 1 of the base year, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
   d.  “Preschool foundation aid” means the product of the regular program state cost per pupil for the budget year multiplied by the school district’s preschool budget enrollment actual enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming provided by a school district approved to participate in the preschool program on October 1 of the base year, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
    Sec. 3.  Section 256C.5, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  For the initial school year for which a school district approved to participate in the preschool program receives that approval and implements the preschool program, the funding for the preschool foundation aid payable to that school district shall be paid from the appropriation made for that school year in section 256C.6, Code 2011, or in another appropriation made for purposes of this chapter. For that school year, the preschool foundation aid payable to the school district is the product of the regular program state cost per pupil for the school year multiplied by sixty percent of the school district’s eligible student enrollment on the date in the school year determined by rule.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the statewide voluntary preschool program (SVPP), including minimum hours of instruction and funding.
   The bill requires each SVPP to offer a minimum of 20 hours of instruction per week to each student. Under current law, SVPPs only need to offer 10 hours of instruction per week to each student.
   SVPP funding is calculated based on the state cost per pupil multiplied by 50 percent of the actual enrollment of students in the SVPP. The bill changes this calculation to multiply the state cost per pupil by the actual enrollment of students in the SVPP.
   Under current law, in an SVPP’s initial year, the SVPP’s funding is calculated by multiplying the state cost per pupil by 60 percent of the eligible enrollment of students in the SVPP on a date determined by the department of education (DOE) by rule. The bill makes the initial year funding calculations based on the actual number of eligible students enrolled in the SVPP on a date determined by the DOE by rule.