H.F. 535 Section 1. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF IOWA’S PUBLIC EDUCATION 1 SYSTEM. 2 1. The legislative council shall enter into an agreement 3 with a qualified person to conduct a comprehensive review of 4 Iowa’s prekindergarten through grade twelve public education 5 system. For purposes of this section, “qualified person” means 6 an independent, nonpartisan individual, research organization, 7 or educational think tank, that is not affiliated with, or 8 represented by, any political party, special interest group, 9 or Iowa school district. 10 2. a. The qualified person’s comprehensive review of Iowa’s 11 prekindergarten through grade twelve public education system 12 shall include all of the following: 13 (1) An examination of trends in Iowa’s public education 14 system over at least the previous thirty years to determine 15 the factors that contributed to the changes in the quality of 16 Iowa’s public education relative to other states. 17 (2) A full audit of Iowa’s funding of public education 18 funding sources and expenditures. 19 (3) An evaluation of the existing funding streams used by 20 the Iowa public education system. 21 (4) A proposal related to simplifying the funding streams 22 used by the Iowa public education system and distributing 23 moneys more effectively and equitably. 24 (5) Identification of potential cost-saving measures that 25 maintain or improve the educational outcomes of students 26 enrolled in Iowa’s public education system. 27 (6) An assessment of the current structure of school 28 districts to determine whether a realignment is necessary based 29 on student population and regional needs. 30 (7) An analysis of the potential impact of school district 31 realignment on transportation costs, staffing, and student 32 performance. 33 (8) Proper consideration for the different needs of schools 34 in rural areas and schools in urban areas. 35 -1- LSB 2816HH (3) 91 jda/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 535 (9) An evaluation of the financial and operational 1 challenges that are unique to schools in rural areas and 2 schools in urban areas. 3 (10) A proposal for equitable funding and policy solutions 4 for schools in rural areas and schools in urban areas. 5 (11) Input from Iowa’s teachers, administrators, and other 6 education professionals. 7 (12) A study of high-quality public education systems in 8 other countries to determine policies or strategies that could 9 be incorporated into Iowa’s public education system. 10 (13) Proper consideration of evidence-based teaching models 11 and other methods to improve curricula. 12 (14) An exploration of potential areas of innovation 13 that could be pursued to provide transformative solutions to 14 improve Iowa’s public education system, which shall include an 15 exploration of all of the following: 16 (a) Alternative education models such as competency-based 17 learning, microschools, and hybrid education systems. 18 (b) The role of technology in modernizing education, 19 including using artificial intelligence to provide personalized 20 learning experiences. 21 (c) Utilizing different teacher training and credentialing 22 models to attract and retain high-quality educators. 23 (d) Alternative funding mechanisms, including 24 performance-based funding and public-private partnerships. 25 (e) Innovative school structures that optimize learning 26 environments. 27 b. The qualified person shall provide periodic updates to 28 the legislative council while conducting the comprehensive 29 review of Iowa’s prekindergarten through grade twelve public 30 education system. 31 c. After conducting the comprehensive review of Iowa’s 32 prekindergarten through grade twelve public education system, 33 the qualified person shall prepare a report containing findings 34 and recommendations. The recommendations must be based on the 35 -2- LSB 2816HH (3) 91 jda/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 535 qualified person’s research and shall not be influenced by 1 current educators or administrative bodies. The report must 2 also contain all of the following: 3 (1) Clear, actionable recommendations that, if adopted, 4 would improve student outcomes, operational efficiency, and 5 funding mechanisms. 6 (2) Short-term and long-term strategies for reform, the 7 estimated costs associated with the short-term and long-term 8 strategies, and the funding sources that could be used to 9 support the short-term and long-term strategies. 10 (3) Multiple strategies to reform Iowa’s public education 11 system, including strategies for incremental improvements and 12 strategies for transformative changes. 13 d. The qualified person shall file the report with the 14 general assembly on or before January 1, 2026, which shall be 15 made available on the general assembly’s internet site. 16 3. After the qualified person files the report with the 17 general assembly, the majority leader of the senate and the 18 speaker of the house of representatives shall arrange for the 19 qualified person to present the final report in a joint session 20 of the general assembly. 21 4. After the qualified person files the report with the 22 general assembly, the chairperson of the senate committee 23 on education and the chairperson of the house committee 24 on education shall arrange for public forums to discuss 25 the report, gather feedback on proposed changes to Iowa’s 26 public education system, and determine appropriate steps for 27 implementation of the recommendations in the report, including 28 the potential creation of pilot programs. 29 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 30 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 31 EXPLANATION 32 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 33 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 34 This bill requires the legislative council to enter into an 35 -3- LSB 2816HH (3) 91 jda/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 535 agreement with a qualified person to conduct a review of Iowa’s 1 public education system. 2 The bill defines “qualified person” to mean an independent, 3 nonpartisan individual, research organization, or educational 4 think tank, that is not affiliated with, or represented by, 5 any political party, special interest group, or Iowa school 6 district. The bill requires the legislative council to 7 enter into an agreement with a qualified person to conduct a 8 comprehensive review of Iowa’s prekindergarten through grade 9 12 public education system. The bill establishes what the 10 comprehensive review is required to include. 11 The bill requires the qualified person to provide periodic 12 updates to the legislative council while conducting the 13 comprehensive review. After conducting the comprehensive 14 review, the qualified person is required to prepare a report 15 containing findings and recommendations and file the report 16 with the general assembly on or before January 1, 2026. 17 After the qualified person files the report with the general 18 assembly, the bill requires the majority leader of the senate 19 and the speaker of the house of representatives to arrange for 20 the qualified person to present the final report in a joint 21 session of the general assembly. Additionally, the chairperson 22 of the senate committee on education and the chairperson of the 23 house committee on education are required to arrange for public 24 forums to discuss the report, gather feedback on proposed 25 changes to Iowa’s public education system, and determine 26 appropriate steps for implementation of the recommendations in 27 the report. 28 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 29 -4- LSB 2816HH (3) 91 jda/jh 4/ 4