HF 2752 (LSB 6141HZ (1) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2752

BY  COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2441)
(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 648)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the teach Iowa scholar program, including modifying eligibility provisions and establishing funding allocations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.218, subsection 3, paragraph a, Code 2026, is amended by striking the paragraph.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256.218, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  7.  For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2026, of the moneys awarded pursuant to the teach Iowa scholar fund, all of the following shall apply:
   a.  Twenty percent shall be awarded to eligible classroom teachers who provide special education instruction.
   b.  Fifty percent shall be awarded to eligible classroom teachers who are employed by a rural school district. For purposes of this paragraph, “rural school district” means a school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than one thousand students.
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 teach Iowa scholar program, including modifying eligibility provisions and establishing funding allocations.
   The teach Iowa scholar program provides selected applicants an annual grant of up to $4,000 for each year of full-time employment as a teacher in this state, not to exceed $20,000 over a five-year period. Eligible applicants must be preparing to teach in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; English as a second language or special education instruction; or a hard-to-staff subject as identified by the department of education. Under current law, applicants must have been in the top 25 percent academically of their teacher preparation program.
   The bill strikes the eligibility requirement that applicants be in the top 25 percent academically of students exiting a teacher preparation program.
   The bill requires that for each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2026, of the moneys awarded pursuant the teach Iowa scholar fund, 20 percent be awarded to eligible teachers who provide special education instruction, and 50 percent be awarded to eligible classroom teachers who are employed by a rural school district. The bill defines “rural school district” as a school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than 1,000 students.