House File 2725 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2725 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 725) (COMPANION TO LSB 5499SV BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education reporting, including the sharing 1 of unit-level wage data for secondary and postsecondary 2 program evaluation, the establishment of the condition of 3 education report, consolidating certain required reports, 4 modifying responsibilities for the future ready Iowa 5 last-dollar scholarship report, modifying Iowa workforce 6 development data-sharing provisions, and creating a return 7 on investment reporting system to be overseen by the Iowa 8 student aid commission. 9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 10 TLSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh

H.F. 2725 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 84A.22 Unit-level wage data for 1 educational program evaluation. 2 1. For purposes of this section, “unit-level wage data” 3 means individual-level employment records maintained by the 4 department of workforce development, including but not limited 5 to occupational title associated with a standard occupational 6 classification code, hours worked, job-site location, and 7 employer industry classification. 8 2. The department of workforce development shall, pursuant 9 to a request from the department of education, provide 10 unit-level wage data for the purpose of evaluating secondary 11 and postsecondary program outcomes, including return on 12 investment reporting. 13 3. The department of workforce development may enter into 14 data-sharing agreements with the department of education to 15 administer this section. 16 Sec. 2. Section 96.11, subsection 6, paragraph c, 17 subparagraph (6), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 18 (6) Colleges, universities, and public agencies of this 19 state for use in connection with research of a public nature, 20 provided the department does not reveal the identity of an 21 employing unit or individual unless such reporting is required 22 by federal or state law for purposes of accountability or 23 evaluation . 24 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph b, 25 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 26 (2) The department shall compile and review the data 27 collected pursuant to this paragraph “b” and shall submit its 28 findings and recommendations for the continued delivery of 29 educational instruction and course content by school districts 30 delivered primarily over the internet, in a summary of the data 31 in the annual condition of education report to the general 32 assembly by January 15 annually pursuant to section 256.9, 33 subsection 80 . 34 Sec. 4. Section 256.9, subsections 19 and 45, Code 2026, are 35 -1- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 1/ 9

H.F. 2725 amended to read as follows: 1 19. The department shall compile the financial information 2 related to chapters 423E and 423F from the certified annual 3 reports of each school district received pursuant to section 4 291.10, subsection 2 , and shall submit the information to the 5 general assembly in an the annual condition of education report 6 each February 1 pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 80 . 7 45. Prepare and submit to the chairpersons and ranking 8 members of the senate and house education committees a report 9 on the state’s progress toward closing the achievement gap, 10 including student achievement for minority subgroups, and 11 a comprehensive summary of state agency and local district 12 activities and practices taken in the past year to close the 13 achievement gap. Such information shall be submitted in the 14 annual condition of education report pursuant to section 256.9, 15 subsection 80. 16 Sec. 5. Section 256.9, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 80. Prepare an annual condition of 19 education report to be submitted to the governor and general 20 assembly by April 1 of each year. 21 Sec. 6. Section 256.177, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 22 following new subsection: 23 NEW SUBSECTION . 12. a. For purposes of this subsection: 24 (1) “Eligible public institution” means a community college 25 established under chapter 260C or a public institution of 26 higher education governed by the state board of regents under 27 chapter 262. 28 (2) “Program” means an instructional offering leading 29 to a certificate, diploma, degree, or other postsecondary 30 credential. 31 (3) “Return on investment” means a measure comparing program 32 costs to student outcomes, including employment and earning. 33 b. Oversee a statewide, program-level postsecondary 34 return on investment reporting system for eligible public 35 -2- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 2/ 9

H.F. 2725 institutions. 1 c. Each eligible public institution shall submit data to the 2 commission in a form and manner specified by the commission. 3 The data must include data elements necessary to report all of 4 the following: 5 (1) Program tuition and fees. 6 (2) Average time to completion. 7 (3) Retention and completion rates. 8 (4) Post-completion and employment rates. 9 (5) Median earnings of program graduates. 10 (6) Alignment to high-demand occupations, defined as 11 occupations in which state, local, or regional labor market 12 forecasting shows occupational demand exceeds the overall 13 state, local, or regional employer demand metrics, including in 14 openings, numeric change, and growth. 15 d. The commission shall annually compile and publish program 16 level return on investment data submitted pursuant to this 17 subsection by eligible public institutions in a consumer-facing 18 format. 19 e. The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 20 to administer this subsection. 21 f. An eligible public institution that fails to comply with 22 the reporting requirements under this subsection, as determined 23 by the commission, shall be ineligible to participate in 24 state-administered student financial aid programs administered 25 by the commission until the commission determines there is 26 substantial compliance. Prior to declaring an institution 27 ineligible, the commission shall provide written notice to the 28 institution and a reasonable opportunity for the institution 29 to cure the noncompliance. This subsection applies only to 30 state-administered student financial aid and shall not affect 31 eligibility for federal student financial aid. 32 Sec. 7. Section 256.228, subsection 4, paragraph d, Code 33 2026, is amended to read as follows: 34 d. In collaboration with the department of workforce 35 -3- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 3/ 9

H.F. 2725 development and the department of education, compile an annual 1 report, in an aggregate form to protect the confidentiality of 2 each eligible program’s participants, that includes the number 3 of students receiving scholarships under this section , the 4 number of students receiving grants under section 256.229 , the 5 number of scholarship and grant recipients completing a program 6 of study or major annually and in the prescribed time frame 7 under this section or section 256.229 , the number of eligible 8 institutions participating in the scholarship and grant 9 programs established under this section or section 256.229 , 10 the number of written agreements entered into by the volunteer 11 mentor program under section 15H.10 , statistics on employment 12 outcomes for future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar 13 scholarship and future ready Iowa skilled workforce grant 14 program participants by industry, and other data as may be 15 deemed pertinent by the commission, the department of workforce 16 development, or the department of education. The commission 17 shall submit the report to the governor and the general 18 assembly annually by January 15 include this information in the 19 report submitted pursuant to section 256.177, subsection 7 . 20 Sec. 8. Section 256E.12, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 21 to read as follows: 22 2. The state board shall prepare and file with the general 23 assembly by December 1, annually, a comprehensive report with 24 findings and recommendations relating to the charter school 25 program in the state and whether the charter school program 26 under this chapter is meeting the goals and purposes of the 27 program. The report also shall contain, for each charter 28 school, a copy of the charter school’s mission statement, 29 attendance statistics and dropout rate, aggregate assessment 30 test scores, projections of financial stability, and the number 31 and qualifications of teachers and administrators. The report 32 shall include the information required to be submitted under 33 section 256F.10 by a charter school or innovation zone school 34 authorized under chapter 256F. 35 -4- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 4/ 9

H.F. 2725 Sec. 9. Section 256F.10, Code 2026, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 256F.10 Reports. 3 1. A charter school or innovation zone school shall 4 report at least annually to the school board or innovation 5 zone consortium, advisory council, and the state board the 6 information required by the school board or innovation zone 7 consortium, advisory council, or the state board. The reports 8 are public records subject to chapter 22 . 9 2. Not later than December 1 annually, the state board shall 10 submit a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations 11 to the general assembly. The report shall evaluate the state’s 12 charter school and innovation zone school programs generally, 13 including but not limited to an evaluation of whether the 14 charter schools and innovation zone schools are fulfilling the 15 purposes set forth in section 256F.4, subsection 2 . The report 16 also shall contain, for each charter school or innovation 17 zone school, a copy of the charter school or innovation 18 zone school’s mission statement, attendance statistics and 19 dropout rate, aggregate assessment test scores, projections of 20 financial stability, the number and qualifications of teachers 21 and administrators, and number of and comments on supervisory 22 visits by the department of education. 23 Sec. 10. Section 279.51A, subsection 5, Code 2026, is 24 amended to read as follows: 25 5. Each school district shall report to the department of 26 education, in a manner prescribed by the department, an annual 27 count of all incidents of violence that result in injury or 28 property damage or assault by a student in a school building, 29 on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored function, and any 30 time a student is referred for the use of or transfer to a 31 therapeutic classroom. The report shall include but not be 32 limited to demographic information on students reported as 33 victims and reported as perpetrators of incidents of violence 34 that result in injury or property damage or assault, including 35 -5- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 5/ 9

H.F. 2725 but not limited to disaggregated information on race, gender, 1 national origin, age, grade level, and disability, along with 2 any other data required for the department to implement the 3 federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by 4 the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. No. 114-95, 5 with appropriate safeguards to ensure student privacy. The 6 department shall compile and summarize the reports, categorized 7 by behavior, and shall submit the summary to the general 8 assembly by November 1 annually in the annual condition of 9 education report pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 80 . A 10 teacher or administrator who submits a report in accordance 11 with this section and who meets the requirements of section 12 280.27 or section 613.21 shall be immune from civil or criminal 13 liability relating to such action, as well as for participating 14 in any administrative or judicial proceeding resulting from or 15 relating to the report pursuant to the provisions of sections 16 280.27 and 613.21 . The provisions of section 70A.29 shall 17 apply to a teacher or administrator who submits a report in 18 accordance with this section or who reports an incident of 19 violence or assault to a local law enforcement agency in good 20 faith and without fraudulent intent or the intent to deceive. 21 Personal information regarding a student in a report submitted 22 pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential as required 23 under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 24 U.S.C. §1232g, and in the same manner as personal information 25 in student records maintained, created, collected, or assembled 26 by or for a school corporation or educational institution in 27 accordance with section 22.7, subsection 1 . 28 Sec. 11. Section 279.60, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 29 to read as follows: 30 2. The school district shall also collect information from 31 each parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a kindergarten 32 student enrolled in the district on whether the student 33 attended preschool. Each school district shall report the 34 preschool information collected to the department of education 35 -6- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 6/ 9

H.F. 2725 in the manner prescribed by the department not later than 1 January 1 of that school year. The early childhood Iowa 2 program in the department of health and human services shall 3 have access to the raw data. The department of education shall 4 review the information submitted pursuant to this section 5 and shall submit its findings and recommendations annually 6 in a summary of the information in the annual condition of 7 education report pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 80, to 8 the governor, the general assembly, the early childhood Iowa 9 state board, and the early childhood Iowa area boards. 10 Sec. 12. Section 284.11, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 11 2026, is amended to read as follows: 12 c. Review If funding is appropriated for purposes of 13 this section, review the use and effectiveness of the funds 14 distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance in 15 high-need schools under this section . The department shall 16 submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the 17 general assembly by January 15 annually. 18 Sec. 13. Section 284.15, subsection 7, paragraph a, Code 19 2026, is amended to read as follows: 20 a. A school district may apply to the department for 21 approval to implement the career paths, leadership roles, 22 and compensation framework specified in subsection 2 , or 23 a comparable system of career paths and compensation for 24 teachers that contains differentiated multiple leadership 25 roles. The director shall consider the recommendations of the 26 commission established pursuant to subsection 12 when approving 27 or disapproving applications submitted pursuant to this 28 section . A school district may modify an approved framework or 29 comparable system if the director or the director’s designee 30 approves the modification. A school district may appeal the 31 director’s or the director’s designee’s decision to the state 32 board and the state board’s decision is final. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -7- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 7/ 9

H.F. 2725 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill relates to education reporting. 2 The bill requires the department of workforce development 3 to provide unit-level wage data to the department of education 4 upon request for the purpose of evaluating secondary and 5 postsecondary program outcomes, including return on investment 6 reporting. The bill defines “unit-level wage data” as 7 individual-level employment records maintained by the 8 department of workforce development, including but not limited 9 to occupational title associated with a standard occupational 10 classification code, hours worked, job-site location, wages, 11 and employer industry classification. The bill permits the 12 department of workforce development and the department of 13 education to enter into data-sharing agreements. 14 The bill establishes the annual condition of education 15 report. The bill requires the annual condition of education 16 report to be submitted to the governor and general assembly by 17 April 1 of each year. The bill consolidates several existing 18 reports into the annual condition report, including the online 19 learning report, the compilation of financial information 20 related to the secure an advanced vision for education (SAVE) 21 report and school infrastructure local option (SILO) report, 22 the achievement gap report, the incidents of violence report, 23 and the kindergarten literacy assessment report. 24 The bill incorporates the future ready Iowa last-dollar 25 scholarship report into the college student aid commission’s 26 annual reporting by requiring the information be included 27 in the report submitted pursuant to Code section 256.177, 28 subsection 7. 29 The bill adds to the annual charter school report the 30 information that charter schools and innovation zone schools 31 are currently required to report under Code chapter 256F, and 32 strikes the detailed reporting requirements from that chapter. 33 The bill provides that the high-need schools report in 34 Code section 284.11 is contingent upon an appropriation by 35 -8- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 8/ 9

H.F. 2725 retaining the requirement that findings and recommendations be 1 submitted only if funding is appropriated for purposes of the 2 Code section. 3 The bill modifies Iowa workforce development’s ability to 4 share unit-level data by permitting disclosure of individual 5 and employer information if such reporting is required 6 by federal or state law for purposes of accountability or 7 evaluation. 8 The bill adds a duty to the Iowa student aid commission 9 to oversee a statewide program-level postsecondary return on 10 investment reporting system for eligible public institutions. 11 Such institutions include community colleges and regents 12 institutions, and are required to submit data in a form and 13 manner specified by the commission. The bill requires the data 14 submitted to include tuition and fees, time to completion, 15 retention and completion rates, post-completion employment, 16 median earnings, and alignment to high-demand occupations. 17 The bill requires the commission to compile and annually 18 publish the data in a consumer-facing format. Institutions 19 failing to comply with the data reporting requirement, 20 as determined by the commission, are ineligible for 21 state-administered student financial aid until substantial 22 compliance is achieved. 23 The bill strikes an obsolete reference in Code chapter 284. 24 -9- LSB 5499HV (1) 91 mb/jh 9/ 9