SF 520 (LSB 2409SV (2) 91)

SENATE FILE 520

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1075)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to community college and department of education reporting requirements, employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program or the Iowa school for the deaf, and employment contracts between community colleges and community college instructors.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

DIVISION I
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 23, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   23.  Adopt rules directing the community colleges to annually and uniformly submit data, including individual-level data, from the most recent fiscal year to the community colleges bureau department, using criteria determined and prescribed by the bureau department via the management information system.
   a.  Financial data submitted to the division department by a community college shall be broken down by fund.
   b.  Community colleges shall provide data to the community colleges bureau department by a deadline set by the bureau department. The deadline shall be set for a date that permits the bureau department to include the data in a report submitted for to the state board approval and the general assembly for review by December March 15 of each year by the house and senate standing education committees and the joint subcommittee on education appropriations.
   c.  The department shall include a statewide summary of the financial data submitted in accordance with paragraph “a” in the submit an annual condition of community colleges report, which upon approval of to the state board, shall be submitted to and the general assembly on or before February 1 for review by March 15 of each year.  The report must include community college program level educational and employment outcomes reports upon availability of all underlying data.
    Sec. 2.  Section 260C.14, subsection 21, paragraph c, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   c.  The department shall submit a report to the general assembly summarizing incorporate the data submitted in paragraph “a” by January 15 annually into the annual condition of community colleges report described in section 256.7, subsection 23, paragraph “c”.
    Sec. 3.  Section 261E.3, subsection 3, paragraph j, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   j.  All eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall include the unique student identifier assigned to students while in the kindergarten through grade twelve system as a part of the institution’s student data management system. Eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall cooperate with the department on data requests related to the programming. All eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall collect data and report to the department on the proportion of females and minorities enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-oriented educational opportunities provided in accordance with this chapter. The department shall submit incorporate the programming data and the department’s findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly annually by January 15 into the annual condition of community colleges report described in section 256.7, subsection 23, paragraph “c”.
DIVISION II
IOWA EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PROGRAM AND THE IOWA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF

    Sec. 4.  Section 256.103, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   256.103  Employees —— contracts —— termination and discharge procedures.
   1.  Sections 279.12 through 279.19B and section 279.27 apply to employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program and employees of the Iowa school for the deaf, who are licensed pursuant to subchapter VII, part 3.  Section 279.27 applies to employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program and employees of the Iowa school for the deaf, whether or not licensed pursuant to subchapter VII, part 3, who are responsible for the care, instruction, or supervision of children. In following those sections in chapter 279, the references to boards of directors of school districts shall be interpreted to apply to the department.
   2.  Notwithstanding chapter 8A, subchapter IV, the department of administrative services shall, in consultation with the department of education, establish an annual compensation schedule applicable to all employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program and all employees of the Iowa school for the deaf and shall set the employee benefits for such employees.
DIVISION III
COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS —— EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS

    Sec. 5.  Section 279.13, subsection 4, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   For purposes of this section, sections 279.14, 279.15, 279.16, 279.19, and 279.27, unless the context otherwise requires, “teacher” includes the following individuals employed by a community college are “teachers”:
    Sec. 6.  Section 279.13, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  (1)  An instructor or faculty member who provides instruction to students enrolled in the community college that results in community college credit hours for the students and such instruction constitutes more than one-half of the instructor’s or faculty member’s workload, but does not include an adjunct instructor, a continuing education instructor, or a noncredit instructor.
   (2)  For purposes of this paragraph:
   (a)  “Continuing education instructor” means an individual employed by the community college who provides instruction that is primarily targeted toward adult learners or learners who are pursuing a community college education for a career or trade, including workforce development, job skills, personal enrichment, high school equivalency programs, and professional certification.
   (b)  “Noncredit instructor” means an individual employed by the community college who provides instruction in courses or programs that do not result in community college credit hours for students, including courses or programs related to workforce training, personal development, tutoring, or continuing education.
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 education, including by modifying provisions related to community college and department of education (DE) reporting requirements, employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program or the Iowa school for the deaf, and employment contracts between community colleges and community college instructors.
   DIVISION I —— REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Current law requires the state board of education to adopt rules directing the community colleges to submit certain specified data from the most recent fiscal year to the community colleges bureau using criteria determined by the community colleges bureau. The bill modifies these provisions to instead require the data to be submitted directly to DE. The bill makes several other modifications related to data submitted by the community colleges to DE, and related to data submitted by DE to the state board and the general assembly, including modifications related to the information to be included in the annual condition of community colleges report.
   DIVISION II —— IOWA EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PROGRAM AND THE IOWA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.  The bill provides that Code section 279.27 (discharge of a teacher) applies to employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program and employees of the Iowa school for the deaf, whether or not licensed by the board of educational examiners, who are responsible for the care, instruction, or supervision of children.
   The bill requires the department of administrative services, in consultation with DE, to establish an annual compensation schedule applicable to all employees of the Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program and all employees of the Iowa school for the deaf and to set the employee benefits for such employees.
   DIVISION III —— COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS —— EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS. Current Code section 279.13 (contracts with teachers —— automatic continuation —— initial background investigations) provides that for purposes of Code sections 279.13, 279.14 (evaluation criteria and procedures), 279.15 (notice of termination —— request for hearing), 279.16 (private hearing —— decision —— record), 279.19 (probationary period), and 279.27 (discharge of teacher), the term “teacher” includes instructors employed by a community college but does not include adjunct instructors employed by a community college. The bill modifies Code section 279.13 to provide that, for purposed of these Code sections, an instructor or faculty member who provides instruction to students enrolled in the community college that results in community college credit hours for the students, and such instruction constitutes more than one-half of the instructor’s or faculty member’s workload, is a teacher; however, neither an adjunct instructor, a continuing education instructor, nor a noncredit instructor is a teacher. The bill defines “continuing education instructor” and “noncredit instructor”.