Advocacy in Action

This page is your home for all things legislative and advocacy related. We have an update from our lobbyist at the Capitol each week, summaries of important bills, and then steps for you to get involved!

Visit the Advocacy in Action webpage for legislative updates and ways to get involved through advocacy!

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IASB®'s Public Policy Agenda
Iowa Legislature

2025 Bill Summaries

 

IASB® Statement Regarding Commitment to Supporting Public Schools & School Boards—Friday, March 21, 2025

At the Iowa Association of School Boards®, our commitment to supporting public schools and school boards remains steadfast. We continue to advocate for the resources and support that school boards need to make informed and effective decisions for Iowa students. As changes and decisions unfold at the state and federal levels, our focus remains on ensuring that school boards have the tools and guidance they need to lead with confidence.

Members can continue to visit our Advocacy in Action webpage for the latest information on legislation impacting education.

 

Under the Golden Dome

The legislature is limping to the finish. May 4 is the day that legislators no longer receive their daily per diem payments and is technically the last day of the legislative session. At this point, it seems unlikely that they will meet this deadline. Both chambers debated all week, but we still have no budget specific targets. The House is rumored to have set their budget targets but isn’t releasing them. The Senate has released their overall budget target, but according to appropriators, they have not received the number to start putting together individual budgets.   

The property tax bill still looms in the background. The new bill, which was introduced last week, has yet to see a subcommittee in either chamber, the first step for full committee consideration. IASB continues to work on evaluating the impact on districts and hopes to release that information next week. For a complete summary of what happened this week, check out our bill summaries

Under the Golden Dome Video

No Under the Golden Dome video this week. Check out the written summary above and stay tuned for next week!

Advocacy Action of the Week

As session slows down, your board can begin making a plan for your interim advocacy. It’s often easier to discuss your priorities with legislators outside of the pressure of the legislative session. Some easy ideas to get you started include: 

  • Inviting legislators to a board meeting where you plan to celebrate success across your district. 

  • Set up a casual meeting for coffee or even at a legislator’s home to get to know them and their priorities better. 

  • Plan a visit to your school buildings when students are there. Show legislators an innovative program or a curriculum that’s made a difference for students. 

Visit our Advocacy 101 page for more information.

Bills on the Move

SF 369—Civics Test as a Graduation Requirement: This bill would require students to obtain a 60% score on a test that uses questions from the U.S. citizenship test to graduate or earn a GED. Students could take the test as many times as needed to earn a passing score. The Department of Education will distribute a 100-question test for school districts to use. A Senate amendment moves the implementation of this requirement to the 2026-27 school year.  

IASB is registered against the bill because it imposes a graduation requirement and requires districts to use a specific test. While we support the goal of civics education, local school districts should be able to choose how they want to assess students. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 38-7 and passed the House by a vote of 60-33. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration.  

HF 316—Career Exploration Curriculum & Industry-Recognized Credentials Recognition: This bill requires school districts to begin teaching career planning and pathways in grades 5 and 6. Additionally, it establishes a diploma seal to recognize students who have earned an industry-recognized credential that is aligned with their CTE coursework.     

IASB is registered undecided. We like the idea of recognizing students for their CTE accomplishments through a diploma seal, but we have concerns about quickly implementing new curriculum on career exploration to younger students. The bill passed the House by a vote of 60–28 and passed the Senate by a vote of 45-0. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

HF 190—State Assessment for Online Schools: This bill allows schools that provide education online to administer the statewide assessment online in the same way their students take all other tests.   

IASB is registered in support of the bill. There are good guardrails, like proctors, around the bill that ensure integrity. The bill passed the House by a vote of 86-11 and passed the Senate by a vote of 44-2. 

HF 393—Calculating Dropout Rate: This bill says that a student who drops out of school, returns, and drops out again will only be counted once in a school’s dropout rate, rather than counting them as a dropout both times.    

IASB is registered in support of the bill. Districts work hard to get students to return to school and shouldn’t be punished if that student decides to drop out again. The bill passed the House by a vote of 89–2 and passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

HF 870—Release Time for Religious Instruction: This bill allows school districts to adopt a policy that would award credit to students who complete a course in religious instruction that does not take place at the school. Students will not be counted absent if the instruction requires them to be gone for no more than five hours per week.  The House amended the bill to remove the option to award credit for this instruction.   

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. With the removal of the option for credit, the bill reaffirms that students can miss school for religious instruction for up to five hours per week and clarifies that they must make up any work missed. The bill passed the House by a vote of 95-2 and passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

SF 574—Retention Fees for Public Improvement Contracts: This bill will allow school districts and other public entities to withhold 3%, rather than the current 5%, in retainage fees during a construction project. These fees are designed to ensure that work is completed on a project.    

IASB is registered undecided on the bill, but we appreciate that school districts will still have recourse with contractors through a retainage fee. It passed the Senate by a vote of 45-4 and passed the House by a vote of 90-4. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration. 

HF 1009—Paying for School Security Costs from Management Fund: This bill would allow school districts to use money from the management fund to pay for school security infrastructure, which could include weapons detection or door monitoring systems. The fund could also be used to pay for school resource officers or private security. 

IASB is registered in support of the bill. This is another avenue for districts to be able to pay for school security, which is often expensive. The bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee.  

HF 471—Concussion Protocol Providers: This bill adds that someone who holds a doctorate in psychology with specialty training in neuropsychology or concussion management as a licensed health care provider can administer care when concussion protocol is required.     

IASB is registered undecided on the bill, but we welcome any qualified providers to assist districts with concussion protocol. The bill passed the House by a vote of 97-0 and passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration.  

HF 706—Open Meetings Fines and Mandatory Training: This bill increases fines for violations of open meetings laws to between $500 and $2,500. If the violation is knowingly committed, the fines increase to between $5,000 and $12,500.     

Additionally, it requires training for newly elected public officials, including school board members, on open meetings and open records laws. The training must be 1-2 hours and can be provided by IPIB or another approved provider, like IASB. The bill is written to ensure school board members would be allowed to complete this training at our annual convention, even if they haven’t been officially seated on the board.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. The increased fines are very steep for unpaid school board members, but we can agree that training on open meetings and open records laws is important, and we already provide this information to our members. The bill passed the Senate with an amendment by a vote of 34-13, so it will be sent back to the House for their consideration.  

SF 277—Chronic Absenteeism Fixes: This bill aims to correct and fix some of the issues that have come up because of last year’s legislation aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism.     

The bill directs the Department of Education to develop model policy to provide county attorneys, which should ensure more consistent enforcement. It removes the requirement that schools send a letter by certified mail to parents or guardians when a child becomes chronically absent, instead requiring it to be sent by email, ordinary mail, or delivered in person. It adds exemptions to the chronic absenteeism policy, including for military service or attending a wedding or funeral. The bill also clarifies that the consequences for being chronically absent, including a school engagement meeting, will only be initiated if the absences are impacting a student’s academic achievement.     

IASB is registered in support of the bill. We know there are other fixes that might be required to improve the effectiveness of the new chronic absenteeism law, but this is a step in the right direction. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0 and passed the House by a vote of 93-0. It will now be sent to Governor Reynolds for her consideration.   

SF 175—Human Growth and Development Curriculum Requirements: This bill would require school districts to provide instruction on fetal development with a video, ultrasound, or real images in grades 5-12. An amendment on the House floor requires that the instruction not be provided or produced by an entity that performs or promotes abortion.  

IASB is registered opposed to the bill, as we are on all curriculum mandates. We are opposed to the process rather than the content. We think the legislature should develop broad requirements, like human growth and development, the State Board of Education then develops content standards and local school districts should be able to choose a curriculum to meet those standards. The bill passed the House by a vote of 60-31. It will be sent back to the Senate for their consideration on the amended version. 

Governor's Recommendations

Governor Reynolds delivered her annual Condition of the State address on Tuesday, Jan. 14. This speech provides an opportunity for the governor to outline her priorities for the upcoming legislative session. While we don’t have any specific bills to work from, the governor did mention several education items: 

  • Funding incentives for preschool programs and childcare providers who work collaboratively to provide a “continuum of care” for young students. 

  • Requiring all districts to have a policy that restricts cell phone use during instructional time. The legislation will serve as a minimum requirement and allow districts to do more if they choose.

  • An emphasis on math education through early identification, progress monitoring, and evidence-based intervention, as well as professional development for teachers and resources for parents to use at home.  

  • Passage of the U.S. Citizenship test as a graduation requirement to enhance civics education. 

  • Reinstating the Teach Iowa job site within the department of education (and xxx funding). 

  • Changes to the paraeducator apprenticeship program to provide additional flexibilities including elimination of the need to have a paraeducator certificate and a job offer before securing a teacher intern license.

 

IASB has done analysis on the governor’s initial budget proposal as well. The legislature will have the final say on the budget, but the governor provides her recommendations every year. Read more about Governor Reynolds’ proposal on supplemental state aid (SSA) and the implications for school districts. 

IASB will provide a more detailed look at the governor’s legislative priorities once her bills are introduced.  We remain optimistic that we can work together to support student achievement for all students.  

 

 

 


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