Bills › 91st General Assembly
Modifying provisions related to English learner participation in open enrollment and including applicability provisions
Topics:K–12 education
Same legislation: HF 2363
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 14, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 14, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 4, 2026
- Skipped: Passes the HouseContinued as HF 2363
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Became HF 2363 → Its progress continues under the new number. Go to HF 2363 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary If a parent wants to move their child who is learning English to a different school district, the new school must have a program that fits the student's needs. The receiving school also cannot accept the student if it would make their English learner classes or general classrooms too crowded. Additionally, this law sets the amount of money the student's home district must pay to the new school.1
Read the official explanation
_____ the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. This bill modifies provisions related to English learner participation in open enrollment. The bill provides that if a parent or guardian files a request for an English learner to open enroll, the request shall be granted only if the receiving district maintains a program to provide special instruction to English learners that is appropriate to meet the English learner’s educational needs and the enrollment of the English learner in the receiving district’s special instruction program would not cause the size of the class or caseload in that special instruction program in the receiving district to exceed the maximum class size or caseload, and if the English learner would be assigned to a general education class, there is sufficient classroom space in the general education class to which the English learner would be assigned. The bill establishes the amount that the English learner’s district of residence is required to pay to the receiving district. These provisions apply to open enrollment applications, requests, and notifications filed by a parent or guardian on or after the effective date of the bill.18(7)(b)(1), which describes amounts that districts of residence are required to pay to receiving districts for students who open enroll.
House subcommittee
Named January 14, 2026. On January 29, 2026 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill allows school districts to use specific funding for English Learner students to pay for their transportation, including trips to nonpublic schools. The bill will have no fiscal impact to the state, and any change to the money school districts receive for transportation costs is expected to be minimal.3
Read the fiscal note
Requester – Representative Henry Stone
Description
House File 2363 allows for school districts that receive supplementary weighting for students who are English Learners (EL) to use those funds to pay for the cost of transportation of the student, including transportation to nonpublic schools. The Bill also provides requirements for a receiving district that has received a request to allow an EL student to open enroll into the proposed receiving district.
Background
An EL is a student who is in the process of acquiring English proficiency and has a first language other than English or in addition to English. The EL status remains with the student until the student shows English proficiency. School districts receive supplementary weighting to provide services to EL students, which is based on the level of English language proficiency. Currently, intensive students are eligible for a 0.26 weighted funding and intermediate students are eligible for a 0.21 weighted funding.
Open enrollment allows a parent or guardian residing in an Iowa district to enroll their child(ren) into another Iowa school under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code section 282.18. Any school district with excess EL costs may request a modified supplemental amount (MSA) from the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) to cover EL costs.
The Transportation School Equity appropriation provides additional funding to school districts for public school transportation costs that exceed the statewide adjusted average cost per student. The individual school district calculations are done each year and are based on the appropriated amount provided for each fiscal year.
Assumptions
- The Bill will not substantially change current open enrollment practices for EL students.
- Requests to the SBRC for MSAs will remain unchanged.
- A limited number of districts transport EL students to another public or nonpublic school.
- The total number of EL students may increase by an unknown amount. But any increase in statewide transportation costs is expected to remain small enough to have no impact on the statewide average transportation cost. As a result, the statewide average transportation cost per pupil will remain at $430.85.
Fiscal Impact
House File 2363 will have no fiscal impact to the State. Any change to the allocation school districts receive from the Transportation School Equity appropriation is expected to be minimal.
Sources
- Department of Education
- Iowa Association of School Boards
- Open Enrollment, English-Language Learners · February 24, 2026
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91st General Assembly