House File 2725 - Reprinted HOUSE FILE 2725 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 725) (COMPANION TO LSB 5499SV BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION) (As Amended and Passed by the House March 24, 2026 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education reporting, including the sharing 1 of unit-level wage data for secondary and postsecondary 2 program evaluation, the establishment of the condition of 3 education report, consolidating certain required reports, 4 modifying responsibilities for the future ready Iowa 5 last-dollar scholarship report, modifying Iowa workforce 6 development data-sharing provisions, and creating a return 7 on investment reporting system to be overseen by the Iowa 8 student aid commission. 9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 10 HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md

H.F. 2725 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 84A.22 Unit-level wage data for 1 educational program evaluation. 2 1. For purposes of this section, “unit-level wage data” 3 means individual-level employment records maintained by the 4 department of workforce development, including but not limited 5 to occupational title associated with a standard occupational 6 classification code, hours worked, job-site location, and 7 employer industry classification. 8 2. The department of workforce development shall, pursuant 9 to a request from the department of education, provide 10 unit-level wage data for the purpose of evaluating secondary 11 and postsecondary program outcomes, including return on 12 investment reporting. 13 3. The department of workforce development may enter into 14 data-sharing agreements with the department of education to 15 administer this section. 16 Sec. 2. Section 96.11, subsection 6, paragraph c, 17 subparagraph (6), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 18 (6) Colleges, universities, and public agencies of this 19 state for use in connection with research of a public nature, 20 provided the department does not reveal the identity of an 21 employing unit or individual unless such reporting is required 22 by federal or state law for purposes of accountability or 23 evaluation . 24 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph b, 25 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 26 (2) The department shall compile and review the data 27 collected pursuant to this paragraph “b” and shall submit 28 the data its findings and recommendations for the continued 29 delivery of educational instruction and course content by 30 school districts delivered primarily over the in a separate 31 section in the annual condition of education report to the 32 general assembly by January 15 annually pursuant to section 33 256.9, subsection 80 . 34 Sec. 4. Section 256.9, subsections 19 and 45, Code 2026, are 35 -1- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 1/ 8

H.F. 2725 amended to read as follows: 1 19. The department shall compile the financial information 2 related to chapters 423E and 423F from the certified annual 3 reports of each school district received pursuant to section 4 291.10, subsection 2 , and shall submit the information to the 5 general assembly in an the annual condition of education report 6 each February 1 pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 80 . 7 45. Prepare and submit to the chairpersons and ranking 8 members of the senate and house education committees a report 9 on the state’s progress toward closing the achievement gap, 10 including student achievement for minority subgroups, and 11 a comprehensive summary of state agency and local district 12 activities and practices taken in the past year to close the 13 achievement gap. Such information shall be submitted in the 14 annual condition of education report pursuant to section 256.9, 15 subsection 80. 16 Sec. 5. Section 256.9, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 80. a. Prepare an annual condition of 19 education report to be submitted to the governor and general 20 assembly by April 1 of each year. The data set used for the 21 report shall timely be made available for download. 22 b. Implement a system for monitoring reporting errors and 23 unavailable data in the annual condition of education report. 24 Sec. 6. Section 256.177, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 25 following new subsection: 26 NEW SUBSECTION . 12. a. For purposes of this subsection: 27 (1) “Eligible public institution” means a community college 28 established under chapter 260C or a public institution of 29 higher education governed by the state board of regents under 30 chapter 262. 31 (2) “Program” means an instructional offering leading 32 to a certificate, diploma, degree, or other postsecondary 33 credential. 34 (3) “Return on investment” means a measure comparing program 35 -2- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 2/ 8

H.F. 2725 costs to student outcomes, including employment and earning. 1 b. Oversee a statewide, program-level postsecondary 2 return on investment reporting system for eligible public 3 institutions. 4 c. Each eligible public institution shall submit data to the 5 commission in a form and manner specified by the commission. 6 The data must include data elements necessary to report all of 7 the following: 8 (1) Program tuition and fees. 9 (2) Average time to completion. 10 (3) Retention and completion rates. 11 (4) Post-completion and employment rates. 12 (5) Median earnings of program graduates. 13 (6) Alignment to high-demand occupations, defined as 14 occupations in which state, local, or regional labor market 15 forecasting shows occupational demand exceeds the overall 16 state, local, or regional employer demand metrics, including in 17 openings, numeric change, and growth. 18 d. The commission shall annually compile and publish program 19 level return on investment data submitted pursuant to this 20 subsection by eligible public institutions in a consumer-facing 21 format. 22 e. The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 23 to administer this subsection. 24 f. An eligible public institution that fails to comply with 25 the reporting requirements under this subsection, as determined 26 by the commission, shall be ineligible to participate in 27 state-administered student financial aid programs administered 28 by the commission until the commission determines there is 29 substantial compliance. Prior to declaring an institution 30 ineligible, the commission shall provide written notice to the 31 institution and a reasonable opportunity for the institution 32 to cure the noncompliance. This subsection applies only to 33 state-administered student financial aid and shall not affect 34 eligibility for federal student financial aid. 35 -3- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 3/ 8

H.F. 2725 Sec. 7. Section 256.228, subsection 4, paragraph d, Code 1 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 d. In collaboration with the department of workforce 3 development and the department of education, compile an annual 4 report, in an aggregate form to protect the confidentiality of 5 each eligible program’s participants, that includes the number 6 of students receiving scholarships under this section , the 7 number of students receiving grants under section 256.229 , the 8 number of scholarship and grant recipients completing a program 9 of study or major annually and in the prescribed time frame 10 under this section or section 256.229 , the number of eligible 11 institutions participating in the scholarship and grant 12 programs established under this section or section 256.229 , 13 the number of written agreements entered into by the volunteer 14 mentor program under section 15H.10 , statistics on employment 15 outcomes for future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar 16 scholarship and future ready Iowa skilled workforce grant 17 program participants by industry, and other data as may be 18 deemed pertinent by the commission, the department of workforce 19 development, or the department of education. The commission 20 shall submit the report to the governor and the general 21 assembly annually by January 15 include this information in the 22 report submitted pursuant to section 256.177, subsection 7 . 23 Sec. 8. Section 256E.12, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 24 to read as follows: 25 2. The state board shall prepare and file with the general 26 assembly by December 1, annually, a comprehensive report with 27 findings and recommendations relating to the charter school 28 program in the state and whether the charter school program 29 under this chapter is meeting the goals and purposes of the 30 program. The report also shall contain, for each charter 31 school, a copy of the charter school’s mission statement, 32 attendance statistics and dropout rate, aggregate assessment 33 test scores, projections of financial stability, and the number 34 and qualifications of teachers and administrators. The report 35 -4- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 4/ 8

H.F. 2725 shall include the information required to be submitted under 1 section 256F.10 by a charter school or innovation zone school 2 authorized under chapter 256F. 3 Sec. 9. Section 256F.10, Code 2026, is amended to read as 4 follows: 5 256F.10 Reports. 6 1. A charter school or innovation zone school shall 7 report at least annually to the school board or innovation 8 zone consortium, advisory council, and the state board the 9 information required by the school board or innovation zone 10 consortium, advisory council, or the state board. The reports 11 are public records subject to chapter 22 . 12 2. Not later than December 1 annually, the state board shall 13 submit a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations 14 to the general assembly. The report shall evaluate the state’s 15 charter school and innovation zone school programs generally, 16 including but not limited to an evaluation of whether the 17 charter schools and innovation zone schools are fulfilling the 18 purposes set forth in section 256F.4, subsection 2 . The report 19 also shall contain, for each charter school or innovation 20 zone school, a copy of the charter school or innovation 21 zone school’s mission statement, attendance statistics and 22 dropout rate, aggregate assessment test scores, projections of 23 financial stability, the number and qualifications of teachers 24 and administrators, and number of and comments on supervisory 25 visits by the department of education. 26 Sec. 10. Section 279.51A, subsection 5, Code 2026, is 27 amended to read as follows: 28 5. Each school district shall report to the department of 29 education, in a manner prescribed by the department, an annual 30 count of all incidents of violence that result in injury or 31 property damage or assault by a student in a school building, 32 on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored function, and any 33 time a student is referred for the use of or transfer to a 34 therapeutic classroom. The report shall include but not be 35 -5- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 5/ 8

H.F. 2725 limited to demographic information on students reported as 1 victims and reported as perpetrators of incidents of violence 2 that result in injury or property damage or assault, including 3 but not limited to disaggregated information on race, gender, 4 national origin, age, grade level, and disability, along with 5 any other data required for the department to implement the 6 federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by 7 the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. No. 114-95, 8 with appropriate safeguards to ensure student privacy. The 9 department shall compile and summarize the reports, categorized 10 by behavior, and shall submit the summary to the general 11 assembly by November 1 annually in a separate section of the 12 annual condition of education report pursuant to section 256.9, 13 subsection 80 . A teacher or administrator who submits a report 14 in accordance with this section and who meets the requirements 15 of section 280.27 or section 613.21 shall be immune from civil 16 or criminal liability relating to such action, as well as for 17 participating in any administrative or judicial proceeding 18 resulting from or relating to the report pursuant to the 19 provisions of sections 280.27 and 613.21 . The provisions of 20 section 70A.29 shall apply to a teacher or administrator who 21 submits a report in accordance with this section or who reports 22 an incident of violence or assault to a local law enforcement 23 agency in good faith and without fraudulent intent or the 24 intent to deceive. Personal information regarding a student 25 in a report submitted pursuant to this section shall be kept 26 confidential as required under the federal Family Educational 27 Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. §1232g, and in the same 28 manner as personal information in student records maintained, 29 created, collected, or assembled by or for a school corporation 30 or educational institution in accordance with section 22.7, 31 subsection 1 . 32 Sec. 11. Section 279.60, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 33 to read as follows: 34 2. The school district shall also collect information from 35 -6- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 6/ 8

H.F. 2725 each parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a kindergarten 1 student enrolled in the district on whether the student 2 attended preschool. Each school district shall report the 3 preschool information collected to the department of education 4 in the manner prescribed by the department not later than 5 January 1 of that school year. The early childhood Iowa 6 program in the department of health and human services shall 7 have access to the raw data. The department of education shall 8 review the information submitted pursuant to this section and 9 shall submit the information its findings and recommendations 10 annually in a separate section in the annual condition of 11 education report pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 80, to 12 the governor, the general assembly, the early childhood Iowa 13 state board, and the early childhood Iowa area boards. 14 Sec. 12. Section 284.11, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 15 2026, is amended to read as follows: 16 c. Review If funding is appropriated for purposes of 17 this section, review the use and effectiveness of the funds 18 distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance in 19 high-need schools under this section . The department shall 20 submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the 21 general assembly by January 15 annually. 22 Sec. 13. Section 284.15, subsection 7, paragraph a, Code 23 2026, is amended to read as follows: 24 a. A school district may apply to the department for 25 approval to implement the career paths, leadership roles, 26 and compensation framework specified in subsection 2 , or 27 a comparable system of career paths and compensation for 28 teachers that contains differentiated multiple leadership 29 roles. The director shall consider the recommendations of the 30 commission established pursuant to subsection 12 when approving 31 or disapproving applications submitted pursuant to this 32 section . A school district may modify an approved framework or 33 comparable system if the director or the director’s designee 34 approves the modification. A school district may appeal the 35 -7- HF 2725 (2) 91 mb/jh/md 7/ 8