House File 2547 - Reprinted HOUSE FILE 2547 BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 572) (As Amended and Passed by the House February 24, 2026 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions 1 related to career academies, the collective statewide 2 articulation agreement between community colleges and the 3 state board of regents, the district-to-community college 4 sharing or concurrent enrollment program, and individual 5 career and academic plans, and by requiring the state board 6 of regents to submit a report related to establishing a 7 performance-based funding model for the institutions of 8 higher education governed by the state board of regents. 9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 10 HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md

H.F. 2547 Section 1. Section 84A.1B, subsection 3, unnumbered 1 paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 Create, and update as necessary, a list of high-demand jobs 3 statewide for purposes of the future ready Iowa registered 4 apprenticeship programs created in chapter 84F , the summer 5 youth intern pilot program established under section 84A.12 , 6 the Iowa employer innovation program established under section 7 84A.13 , the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar 8 scholarship program established under section 256.228 , and the 9 future ready Iowa skilled workforce grant program established 10 under section 256.229 , and postsecondary summer classes 11 for high school students as provided under section 261E.8, 12 subsection 8 . In addition to the list created by the workforce 13 development board under this subsection , each community 14 college, in consultation with regional career and technical 15 education planning partnerships, and with the approval of the 16 board of directors of the community college, may identify and 17 maintain a list of not more than five regional high-demand jobs 18 in the community college region, and shall share the lists 19 with the workforce development board. The lists submitted by 20 community colleges under the subsection may be used in that 21 community college region for purposes of programs identified 22 under this subsection . The workforce development board 23 shall have full discretion to select and prioritize statewide 24 high-demand jobs after consulting with business and education 25 stakeholders, as appropriate, and seeking public comment. The 26 workforce development board may add to the list of high-demand 27 jobs as it deems necessary. For purposes of this subsection , 28 “high-demand job” means a job in the state that the board, or 29 a community college in accordance with this subsection , has 30 identified in accordance with this subsection . In creating 31 a list under this subsection , the following criteria, at a 32 minimum, shall apply: 33 Sec. 2. Section 256.137, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 34 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 35 -1- HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md 1/ 5

H.F. 2547 A career academy may be established under an agreement 1 between a single school district and a community college, or 2 by multiple school districts and a community college organized 3 into a regional career and technical education planning 4 partnership pursuant to section 256.136 . A career academy 5 established under this section shall be a career-oriented or 6 occupation-oriented program of study that includes a minimum 7 of two years units of secondary education, of which at least 8 one unit must be from a course that meets the requirements 9 of section 261E.8, which may fulfill the sequential unit 10 requirement in one of the four service areas required under 11 section 256.11, subsection 5 , paragraph “h” , is articulated 12 with a postsecondary education program, and is approved by the 13 director under section 256.130 . A career academy shall do all 14 of the following: 15 Sec. 3. Section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph b, 16 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as 17 follows: 18 If the school budget review committee certifies to the 19 department of management that the class would not otherwise be 20 implemented without the assignment of additional weighting, 21 pupils attending a community college-offered class or attending 22 a class taught by a community college-employed instructor 23 are assigned a weighting of the percentage of the pupil’s 24 school day during which the pupil attends class in the 25 community college or attends a class taught by a community 26 college-employed instructor times seventy hundredths for career 27 and technical courses or fifty hundredths for liberal arts and 28 sciences courses. For purposes of calculating the percentage 29 of the pupil’s day during which the pupil attends class in the 30 community college or attends a class taught by a community 31 college-employed instructor, a pupil attending a course during 32 the summer term pursuant to section 261E.8, subsection 8, shall 33 be counted as if the pupil attended the course during the same 34 school year in which the school calendar first begins following 35 -2- HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md 2/ 5

H.F. 2547 the summer term. The following requirements shall be met for 1 the purposes of assigning an additional weighting for classes 2 offered through a sharing agreement between a school district 3 and community college. The class must be: 4 Sec. 4. Section 260C.14, subsection 22, Code 2026, is 5 amended to read as follows: 6 22. a. Enter into a collective statewide articulation 7 agreement with the state board of regents pursuant to section 8 262.9, subsection 31 , which shall provide for the seamless 9 transfer of academic credits from a completed associate of 10 arts or associate of science degree program offered by a 11 community college to a baccalaureate degree program offered by 12 an institution of higher education governed by the state board 13 of regents of all of the following: 14 (1) Academic credits earned through a completed associate 15 of arts degree program . 16 (2) Academic credits earned through a completed associate 17 of science degree program. 18 (3) Career and technical education credits from an 19 associate of arts degree program, an associate of science 20 degree program, an applied associate of arts degree program, or 21 an applied associate of science degree program. 22 b. The collective statewide articulation agreement described 23 in paragraph “a” shall enable program-specific arrangements 24 that favor the transfer of career and technical education 25 credits that meet baccalaureate degree requirements of the 26 institution of higher education governed by the state board of 27 regents. 28 c. The collective statewide articulation agreement described 29 in paragraph “a” shall not include a uniform restriction related 30 to the number of career and technical education credits that 31 may be transferred. This paragraph shall not be construed to 32 require the transfer of all career and technical education 33 credits when such transfer may restrict a student’s access to 34 financial aid or when such transfer would not advance a student 35 -3- HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md 3/ 5

H.F. 2547 toward completion of a baccalaureate degree program. 1 d. The board shall also do the following: 2 a. (1) Identify a transfer and articulation contact office 3 or person, publicize transfer and articulation information 4 and the contact office or person, and submit the contact 5 information to the state board of regents, which shall publish 6 the contact information on its articulation internet site. 7 b. (2) Collaborate with the state board of regents to meet 8 the requirements specified in section 262.9, subsection 31 , 9 including but not limited to developing a systematic process 10 for expanding academic discipline and meetings between the 11 community college faculty and faculty of the institutions 12 of higher education governed by the state board of regents, 13 developing criteria to prioritize core curriculum areas, 14 promoting greater awareness of articulation-related activities, 15 facilitating additional opportunities for individual 16 institutions to pursue program articulation agreements for 17 career and technical educational programs, and developing 18 and implementing a process to examine a minimum of eight 19 new associate of applied science degree programs for which 20 articulation agreements would serve students’ continued 21 academic success in those degree programs. 22 Sec. 5. Section 261E.8, subsection 8, Code 2026, is amended 23 to read as follows: 24 8. Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general 25 assembly for this purpose, the The department shall establish a 26 program to provide additional funds for resident high school 27 pupils enrolled in grades nine through twelve to attend a 28 community college for college-level classes or attend a class 29 taught by a community college-employed instructor through a 30 contractual agreement between a community college and a school 31 district that satisfies the requirements for classes under 32 section 257.11, subsection 3 , except that the classes eligible 33 for funding under this program are offered during the a summer 34 and outside of the regular school year term and are aligned 35 -4- HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md 4/ 5

H.F. 2547 with a transfer pathway or a career pathways pathway leading 1 to postsecondary credentials and high-demand jobs designated 2 by the workforce development board or a community college 3 pursuant to section 84A.1B, subsection 3 . A community college 4 shall not charge students tuition for a class offered partially 5 or completely outside of the regular school year under this 6 program. 7 Sec. 6. Section 279.61, subsection 1, paragraph a, 8 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 9 (2) Identify the coursework and work-based learning 10 needed in grades nine through twelve to support the student’s 11 postsecondary education and career options. This shall include 12 a discussion with the student related to opportunities that are 13 available to the student through the school district to earn 14 college credit and industry-recognized credentials that are 15 aligned to the student’s postsecondary and career interests. 16 Sec. 7. STATE BOARD OF REGENTS —— PERFORMANCE-BASED FUNDING 17 MODEL —— REPORT. The state board of regents shall, on or 18 before the November 2026 meeting of the state board of regents, 19 submit a report to the general assembly and to the governor 20 that describes how the state board of regents could establish 21 a performance-based funding model for the institutions of 22 higher education governed by the state board of regents. The 23 performance-based funding model must include, at a minimum, all 24 of the following factors: 25 1. Graduation rates. 26 2. The number of degrees awarded in areas corresponding to 27 high-demand jobs in this state. 28 3. Post-graduation employment rates. 29 4. Post-graduation income. 30 5. The number of graduates who remain in this state after 31 graduation. 32 -5- HF 2547 (3) 91 jda/jh/md 5/ 5