House Study Bill 648 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WHEELER) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the teach Iowa scholar program, including 1 modifying eligibility provisions and establishing funding 2 allocations. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6141YC (2) 91 mb/jh
H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.218, subsection 3, paragraph a, Code 1 2026, is amended by striking the paragraph. 2 Sec. 2. Section 256.218, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 3 following new subsection: 4 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. For each fiscal year beginning on or 5 after July 1, 2026, of the moneys awarded pursuant to the teach 6 Iowa scholar fund, all of the following shall apply: 7 a. Twenty percent shall be awarded to eligible classroom 8 teachers who provide special education instruction. 9 b. Fifty percent shall be awarded to eligible classroom 10 teachers who are employed by a rural school district. For 11 purposes of this paragraph, “rural school district” means a 12 school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than one 13 thousand students. 14 EXPLANATION 15 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 16 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 17 This bill relates to the teach Iowa scholar program, 18 including modifying eligibility provisions and establishing 19 funding allocations. 20 The teach Iowa scholar program provides selected applicants 21 an annual grant of up to $4,000 for each year of full-time 22 employment as a teacher in this state, not to exceed $20,000 23 over a five-year period. Eligible applicants must be preparing 24 to teach in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; 25 English as a second language or special education instruction; 26 or a hard-to-staff subject as identified by the department of 27 education. Under current law, applicants must have been in 28 the top 25 percent academically of their teacher preparation 29 program. 30 The bill strikes the eligibility requirement that applicants 31 be in the top 25 percent academically of students exiting a 32 teacher preparation program. 33 The bill requires that for each fiscal year beginning on or 34 after July 1, 2026, of the moneys awarded pursuant the teach 35 -1- LSB 6141YC (2) 91 mb/jh 1/ 2
H.F. _____ Iowa scholar fund, 20 percent be awarded to eligible teachers 1 who provide special education instruction, and 50 percent 2 be awarded to eligible classroom teachers who are employed 3 by a rural school district. The bill defines “rural school 4 district” as a school district with a certified enrollment of 5 fewer than 1,000 students. 6 -2- LSB 6141YC (2) 91 mb/jh 2/ 2