Senate File 2312 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2312 BY DONAHUE A BILL FOR An Act relating to the amount of compensation paid to school 1 district employees, including by establishing an educator 2 supplement for all fund to be administered by the department 3 of education, and modifying the amount of compensation paid 4 to teachers, certain employees with a license, endorsement, 5 certification, authorization, or statement of recognition 6 issued by the board of educational examiners, and teaching 7 assistants, and making appropriations. 8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 9 TLSB 6172XS (3) 90 jda/jh

S.F. 2312 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 256.20 Educator supplement for all 1 fund —— teacher and staff pay —— appropriation. 2 1. a. An educator supplement for all fund is established 3 in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered by 4 the department and shall consist of moneys appropriated by 5 the general assembly and any other moneys received by the 6 department for deposit in the fund. The moneys in the fund are 7 appropriated and made available to the department to be used 8 for meeting the requirements of this section. 9 b. The department shall distribute moneys from the fund 10 to school districts established pursuant to chapter 274 in 11 amounts necessary to ensure that school districts compensate 12 employees and teachers in accordance with this section, section 13 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph “a” , subparagraph (1), section 14 284.16, subsection 1, paragraph “a” , unnumbered paragraph 1, 15 and section 284.17, subsection 1. 16 c. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for each 17 succeeding fiscal year, there is appropriated from the general 18 fund of the state to the educator supplement for all fund the 19 amount necessary to make all distributions required under 20 paragraph “b” for the fiscal year. 21 2. a. (1) Subject to paragraph “b” , each school district 22 shall pay to each employee with a license, endorsement, 23 certification, authorization, or statement of recognition 24 issued by the board of educational examiners who has been 25 employed by the school district for at least one year, and who 26 has completed all periods of conditional employment with the 27 school district, five thousand dollars each year in addition 28 to the employee’s base salary. 29 (2) Subparagraph (1) shall not require a school district to 30 pay any amounts in addition to an employee’s base salary if the 31 employee holds an administrator license issued by the board of 32 educational examiners and is employed by the school district in 33 an administrative role. 34 b. Each school district shall pay to each employee who 35 -1- LSB 6172XS (3) 90 jda/jh 1/ 5

S.F. 2312 serves as a teaching assistant an amount equal to ten percent 1 of the employee’s current annual salary each year in addition 2 to the employee’s base salary. 3 c. If an employee qualifies for a payment from a school 4 district under paragraph “a” and paragraph “b” , the school 5 district shall pay the employee the greater of the amount 6 required under paragraph “a” or paragraph “b” , but not both. 7 3. Each school district shall apply to the department for a 8 distribution of moneys pursuant to this section. 9 Sec. 2. Section 257.10, subsection 12, paragraph d, Code 10 2024, is amended to read as follows: 11 d. Except as otherwise allowed under this paragraph, for 12 the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, and succeeding budget 13 years, the use of the funds calculated under this subsection 14 shall comply with the requirements of chapter 284 and shall 15 be distributed to teachers pursuant to section 284.15 . The 16 funds shall be used only to increase the payment for a teacher 17 assigned to a leadership role pursuant to a framework or 18 comparable system approved pursuant to section 284.15 ; to 19 increase the percentages of teachers assigned to leadership 20 roles; to increase the minimum teacher starting salary to 21 thirty-three thousand five hundred dollars the amount provided 22 in section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph “a” , subparagraph 23 (1) ; to cover the costs for the time mentor and lead teachers 24 are not providing instruction to students in a classroom; 25 for coverage of a classroom when an initial or career 26 teacher is observing or co-teaching with a teacher assigned 27 to a leadership role; for professional development time to 28 learn best practices associated with the career pathways 29 leadership process; and for other costs associated with a 30 framework or comparable system approved by the department of 31 education under section 284.15 with the goals of improving 32 instruction and elevating the quality of teaching and student 33 learning. If all requirements for the school district for 34 the use of funds calculated under this subsection are met 35 -2- LSB 6172XS (3) 90 jda/jh 2/ 5

S.F. 2312 and funds received under this subsection remain unexpended 1 and unobligated at the end of a fiscal year beginning on or 2 after July 1, 2020, the school district may transfer all or a 3 portion of such unexpended and unobligated funds for deposit 4 in the school district’s flexibility account established 5 under section 298A.2, subsection 2 . At the end of a fiscal 6 year beginning on or after July 1, 2022, school districts may 7 use all or a portion of funds under this subsection for the 8 purposes authorized under subsection 9 , paragraph “d” , and, 9 notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, school 10 districts shall not be required to participate in or comply 11 with section 284.15 in order to continue to receive funding 12 under this subsection . 13 Sec. 3. Section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph a, 14 subparagraph (1), Code 2024, is amended to read as follows: 15 (1) The For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and 16 for each subsequent fiscal year, the salary for an initial 17 teacher who has successfully completed an approved practitioner 18 preparation program as defined in section 256.145 or holds 19 an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter 20 256, subchapter VII, part 3, shall be at least thirty-three 21 thousand five hundred fifty thousand dollars, which shall also 22 constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher. 23 Sec. 4. Section 284.16, subsection 1, paragraph a, 24 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2024, is amended to read as 25 follows: 26 The For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for each 27 subsequent fiscal year, the beginning teacher shall be paid not 28 less than thirty-three thousand five hundred fifty thousand 29 dollars and shall meet the following requirements: 30 Sec. 5. Section 284.17, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended 31 to read as follows: 32 1. A For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and for 33 each subsequent fiscal year, the minimum salary of thirty-three 34 thousand five hundred fifty thousand dollars for a full-time 35 -3- LSB 6172XS (3) 90 jda/jh 3/ 5

S.F. 2312 teacher. 1 EXPLANATION 2 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 This bill relates to the amount of compensation paid 5 to school district employees, including by establishing 6 an educator supplement for all fund to be administered 7 by the department of education, and modifying the amount 8 of compensation paid to teachers, certain employees with 9 a license, endorsement, certification, authorization, or 10 statement of recognition issued by the board of educational 11 examiners (BOEE), and teaching assistants. 12 Currently, Code chapter 284 (teacher compensation) provides 13 that the minimum annual salary for an initial teacher who has 14 successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation 15 program or holds an initial or intern teacher license issued 16 by the BOEE shall be at least $33,500. The bill increases this 17 minimum annual salary to $50,000, beginning July 1, 2024. The 18 bill makes conforming changes to Code chapter 257 (financing 19 school programs). 20 The bill requires school districts to pay to each employee 21 with a license, endorsement, certification, authorization, 22 or statement of recognition issued by the BOEE who has been 23 employed by the school district for at least one year, and who 24 has completed all periods of conditional employment with the 25 school district, $5,000 each year in addition to the employee’s 26 base salary. The bill establishes that this provision does not 27 apply to administrators. The bill requires school districts 28 to pay to each employee who serves as a teaching assistant an 29 amount equal to 10 percent of the employee’s current annual 30 salary each year in addition to the employee’s base salary. 31 The bill establishes an educator supplement for all fund 32 in the state treasury under the control of the department of 33 education. The bill requires the department to distribute 34 moneys from the fund to school districts in amounts necessary 35 -4- LSB 6172XS (3) 90 jda/jh 4/ 5