Requiring the legislative council to enter into an agreement with a qualified person to conduct a review of Iowa’s public education system, and including effective date provisions

This bill requires the legislative council to enter into an agreement with a qualified person to conduct a review of Iowa’s public education system. The bill defines “qualified person” to mean an independent, nonpartisan individual, research organization, or educational think tank, that is not affiliated with, or represented by, any political party, special interest group, or Iowa school district. The bill requires the legislative council to enter into an agreement with a qualified person to conduct a comprehensive review of Iowa’s prekindergarten through grade 12 public education system. The bill establishes what the comprehensive review is required to include. The bill requires the qualified person to provide periodic updates to the legislative council while conducting the comprehensive review. After conducting the comprehensive review, the qualified person is required to prepare a report containing findings and recommendations and file the report with the general assembly on or before January 1, 2026. After the qualified person files the report with the general assembly, the bill requires the majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives to arrange for the qualified person to present the final report in a joint session of the general assembly. Additionally, the chairperson of the senate committee on education and the chairperson of the house committee on education are required to arrange for public forums to discuss the report, gather feedback on proposed changes to Iowa’s public education system, and determine appropriate steps for implementation of the recommendations in the report. The bill takes effect upon enactment.