Education

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 17, 2026

HSB 719: A bill for an act establishing the school health-related emergency response plan competitive grant program within the department of education, making appropriations, and including applicability provisions.

HSB 719 establishes a competitive grant program within Iowa's Department of Education to help schools develop cardiac emergency response plans. It requires participating schools (including public districts, nonpublic schools, and charters) to implement specific safety measures like placing AEDs accessible within three minutes, training staff in CPR/AED use, and conducting annual emergency drills. The grants, funded through a new state treasury account, offset costs for creating these plans but must supplement, not replace, existing school funding. The program applies to all schools starting with the 2027-2028 school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates state-funded grants for schools to implement cardiac emergency response plans, including AEDs and staff training, directly enhancing school safety infrastructure and student protection within education.92% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding School Safety Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 19, 2026

SF 2336: A bill for an act requiring annual reports on and the prohibition of antisemitism in community colleges, regents institutions, and public school districts.

SF 2336 requires Iowa's community colleges, state-regents institutions (like universities), and public school districts to annually report antisemitism incidents and investigations to state education boards by September 1 each year. It mandates these institutions to prohibit antisemitism in the same manner as other discrimination under federal and state law, and to update student and staff conduct codes to explicitly ban antisemitic harassment or discrimination against Jewish people. The bill also requires the state board of regents to annually review institutional policies on antisemitism and include findings in their report. These requirements apply directly to all covered educational institutions across Iowa.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires educational institutions to prohibit antisemitism and update conduct codes, strengthening safe learning environments and protecting Jewish students/staff in K-12 and higher education.95% confidence

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introduced · Iowa · House Apr 14, 2026

HF 2544: A bill for an act requiring annual reports on and the prohibition of antisemitism in community colleges, regents institutions, and public school districts.

HF 2544 requires Iowa community colleges, state-regent institutions, and public school districts to prohibit antisemitism and report annually on incidents. Each institution must submit by September 1 a report detailing all antisemitism complaints or incidents from the prior academic year, including investigation outcomes, to the state board of education. The bill also mandates that these entities integrate policies into their codes of conduct prohibiting antisemitic harassment or discrimination - treating it equally with other forms of discrimination under federal law (specifically Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964). The state board of regents must similarly submit annual reports to the state board of education, including reviews of policies addressing antisemitism.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires anti-discrimination policies and annual reporting on antisemitism in schools, protecting educational environments per topic description.92% confidence

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signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 2, 2026

SF 2220: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the Iowa statewide assessment of student progress and programs for gifted and talented children, and by requiring school districts to develop an advanced mathematics pathway and implement procedures for subject acceleration and whole-grade acceleration, and including applicability provisions.

SF 2220 modifies Iowa's statewide student assessments, requiring math and English language arts testing in grades 3-11 and science in grades 5, 8, and 10. It mandates school districts to develop procedures for identifying gifted and talented students using multiple data points (like standardized tests and teacher input), ensuring equitable access across all student groups. The bill requires districts to create an "advanced mathematics pathway" enabling students to complete algebra I by grade nine and automatically enroll students scoring "advanced" in math or ELA assessments in the next rigorous course level. These provisions directly affect all Iowa public school districts, students in grades 4-12, and gifted education programs by changing assessment requirements, identification processes, and access to accelerated math courses.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates statewide assessments, equitable gifted program procedures, and advanced math pathway to strengthen curriculum standards and student access.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers Testing & Assessment

died · Iowa · House Apr 9, 2026

HF 2308: A bill for an act relating to state participation in the federal tax credit program for individual contributions to scholarship granting organizations.

HF 2308 would allow Iowa to join a federal tax credit program, enabling Iowa residents who donate to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) to claim a state tax credit. The bill requires the governor to elect participation in the federal tax credit (under IRS Section 25F) and mandates the departments of Revenue and Education to follow federal rules to administer the program starting tax years after January 1, 2027. This would let SGOs provide scholarships of up to $1,700 per year per student for eligible elementary and secondary school expenses, directly benefiting families using nonpublic schools.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates state tax credit for donations to SGOs, providing tax relief and aligning with federal program to fund private education scholarships.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables tax credits for private education scholarships, expanding student access to educational options beyond public schools through SGO funding.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Tax Credits K-12 Education School Choice Student Financial Aid

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 2, 2026

SF 2403: A bill for an act relating to incentives for whole grade sharing and school district reorganization or dissolution.

This Iowa bill (SF 2403) extends financial incentives for school districts considering merging, reorganizing, or dissolving by July 1, 2031. It provides extra state funding (supplementary weighting) to districts with students attending classes in another district through whole-grade sharing agreements, calculated as one-tenth of the percentage of a student’s day spent outside their home district. Districts studying reorganization or dissolution by 2031 can receive this funding for up to three years, with continued eligibility for three years post-reorganization if they meet progress requirements. The bill directly affects Iowa school districts and students participating in shared educational arrangements, aiming to support consolidation efforts through targeted funding adjustments.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides supplementary state funding (extra weighting) for school districts merging/reorganizing, directly increasing public education appropriations through fiscal incentives.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides supplemental state funding for school district reorganization/grade sharing, directly advancing resource allocation for K-12 education through financial incentives.95% confidence

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signed · Iowa · Senate May 19, 2026

SF 2219: A bill for an act requiring boards of directors of school districts, governing boards of charter schools, and authorities in charge of accredited nonpublic schools to adopt policies related to exempting student absences for school-sponsored activities, programs, competitions, and projects.

This bill requires school districts, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools to adopt policies that exempt student absences for 4-H club or FFA activities from unexcused absence records. The policies must also allow students to make up any missed classwork due to these absences. It applies directly to all covered schools in Iowa, ensuring consistent treatment for students participating in these agricultural education programs. The requirement standardizes how schools handle absences related to 4-H and FFA activities without penalizing student participation.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires schools to exempt absences for 4-H/FFA activities, enabling student participation in agricultural education programs without academic penalty.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

signed · Iowa · House Jun 2, 2026

HF 2493: A bill for an act relating to the statewide preschool program by modifying provisions relating to eligibility, funding, and compulsory attendance and including applicability provisions.

HF 2493 modifies Iowa's statewide preschool program to expand eligibility to include five-year-olds who turn five on or after March 15 but on or before September 15 of the school year, in addition to four-year-olds. It adjusts funding rules so children counted for state funding in prior years cannot be counted again, and updates terminology to refer to "young children" instead of exclusively "four-year-olds." The bill affects school districts operating approved preschool programs, children meeting the new age criteria, and state funding allocations for preschool services. These changes apply to school budget years starting July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands preschool eligibility to more children and adjusts funding to ensure efficient resource allocation, directly increasing educational access for young learners.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood School Funding

passed · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2026

HF 2363: A bill for an act relating to English learners, including by modifying provisions related to open enrollment and the payment of costs incurred in transporting English learners to nonpublic schools, and including applicability provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's funding and open enrollment rules for English learners. It adds extra per-student funding (26% for intensive, 21% for intermediate learners) to cover both instructional costs and transportation to nonpublic schools. For open enrollment requests involving English learners, the receiving district must confirm it has appropriate program capacity and classroom space before approving the transfer. The home district must pay the receiving district any difference between actual special instruction costs and the standard funding amount, with these rules applying to requests filed after the bill's effective date.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds 21-26% extra per-student funding for English learners' instruction/transportation and ensures program capacity for open enrollment, directly advancing educational access and support for this student group.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice School Funding

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SSB 3136: A bill for an act relating to the permissible uses of certain school district property tax revenue for urban renewal projects and including effective date provisions.

This bill prohibits using school district property taxes (specifically foundation taxes under Iowa law) to fund urban renewal projects approved on or after January 1, 2025, that include stadiums or arenas primarily for professional sports teams. It directly affects school districts collecting these taxes and municipalities developing urban renewal projects. The key provision blocks the use of designated tax revenue for stadium construction, planning, or operation within such projects. The restriction applies only to new projects approved after 2025, not existing ones. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRestricts use of school property tax revenue for stadium projects, defunding urban renewal spending on professional sports facilities.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill prevents school district property tax revenue from funding stadium projects, protecting educational funding by ensuring tax revenue stays for school purposes rather than diverting to non-educational urban renewal.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax Revenue

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