Relating to education, including by requiring community colleges and certain private institutions of higher education to publish information related to the average income and student debt of graduates, requiring school districts to provide students enrolled in grades eleven and twelve with information related to the average income and student debt of graduates of postsecondary institutions in the state, and modifying provisions related to supplementary weighting

This bill relates to education, including by requiring community colleges and certain private institutions of higher education to publish information related to the average income and student debt of graduates, requiring school districts to provide students enrolled in grades and with information related to the average income and student debt of graduates of postsecondary institutions in the state, and modifying provisions related to supplementary weighting.183 (Iowa tuition grants program), as a condition of participation in the Iowa tuition grants program, to develop and publish a report concerning students who have completed a baccalaureate degree program at the institution. The bill establishes what information the report is required to include, which includes information related to the income and student loan debt of students who have completed the baccalaureate degree program. The bill also requires community colleges to develop and publish a similar report related to the income and student loan debt of students who have completed an associate’s degree program, or any program that leads to a postsecondary certificate or other competency-based credential, offered by the community college. The bill provides that each school district is required to provide to each student in grades and who has expressed an interest in postsecondary education with compilations of the reports prepared by the accredited private institutions, eligible institutions, and community colleges, and with a copy of a comparable report prepared by the state board of regents that relates to institutions of higher education under the control of the state board of regents. The bill establishes that, if the school district employs a college and career transition counselor or coordinator, such counselor or coordinator is responsible for providing copies of these reports and compilations of reports. The bill defines “college and career transition counselor or coordinator” to mean a licensed school counselor or an appropriately trained individual responsible for providing direct services to students, parents, families, schools, and postsecondary institutions to support college preparation and postsecondary success, such as college preparation, financial aid processing, and transition to postsecondary institution enrollment. Current law provides that a school district that shares with a political subdivision one or more operational functions in certain specified areas for at least percent of the school year shall be assigned a supplementary weighting for each shared operational function. The purpose of the supplementary weighting is to provide additional funding to increase student opportunities and redirect more resources to student programming for school districts. Under current law, the supplementary weighting associated with a college and career transition counselor or coordinator is two pupils for the school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, but before July 1, 2035. In addition, under current law the maximum amount of additional weighting for which a school district is eligible in a budget year is additional pupils. The bill provides that the supplementary weighting associated with a shared operational function in the area of a college and career transition counselor or coordinator shall not count toward the maximum amount of additional weighting for budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2024.3.16.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.