Signed by Governor Terry Branstad

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates education funding, categorizes teachers, increases teacher minimum salary, and establishes new educational programs.

Highlights:

• Increases the state and categorical state percent of growth by 2 percent for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 fiscal years (Sec. 4).

• Requires the state and categorical state percent of growth increases to be used for specific purposes including, but not limited to, teacher salary supplement, professional development supplement, and the teacher leadership supplement (Secs. 4 & 71).

• Establishes a framework for Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation requirements for school districts that categorizes teachers as initial, career, model, mentor, or lead teachers, and authorizes school districts to implement this framework (Sec. 92).

• Increases the minimum teacher salary from $28,000 to $32,000 per year (Secs. 74 & 92).

• Requires a school district to give salary supplements to designated teachers as follows (Sec. 92):
• An annual supplement of at least $2,000 for “model teachers”;
• An annual supplement of at least $5,000 for “mentor teachers”; and
• An annual supplement of at least $10,000 for “lead teachers”.

• Specifies that an initial, career, model, mentor, or lead teacher is an individual who meets certain criteria, including, but not limited to, the following criteria (Sec. 92):
• An “initial teacher” completes an approved practitioner program and completes a teacher residency during the first year of employment;
• A “career teacher” demonstrates the competencies of a career teacher and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching;
• A “model teacher” meets the requirements of a career teacher and demonstrates the competencies of a model teacher; 
• A “mentor teacher” demonstrates the competencies and “superior” teaching skills of a mentor teacher, and possesses the skills and qualifications to assume “leadership” roles; and
• A “lead teacher” assumes “leadership” roles, possesses “superior” teaching skills and the ability to instruct adult learners, and facilitates an instructional leadership team. 

• Requires a school district to designate 10 percent of its teachers as model teachers, 10 percent of its teachers as mentor teachers, and 5 percent of its teachers as lead teachers (Sec. 92).

• Limits a mentor teacher’s teaching workload to not more than 75 percent student instruction and a lead teacher’s teaching workload to not more than 50 percent student instruction (Sec. 92).  

• Establishes the “Teach Iowa Marketing and Public Outreach” initiative with certain objectives including, but not limited to, the following objectives (Sec. 43):
• To inform the public of the value of teaching;
• To motivate students to enter teacher preparation programs; and
• To encourage teachers to pursue teaching careers in rural Iowa.

• Establishes the “Teach Iowa Student Teaching” pilot project to provide students in teacher preparation programs with 1 year of teaching experience (Sec. 45). 

• Establishes the “Iowa Certificate of Distinction” program with certain objectives including, but not limited to, recognizing students who demonstrate skills relevant to college and career readiness (Sec. 54).

• Appropriates $1.5 million for the “Iowa Learning Online” initiative for each of the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 fiscal years (Sec. 42).

• Authorizes a parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a student who offers "independent private instruction" to that student, to offer independent private instruction for up to 4 unrelated students (Sec. 114).

• Defines “independent private instruction” as a means of instruction that meets certain criteria including, but not limited to, no tuition charge, no accreditation, and is not a nonpublic school (Sec. 114).

• Authorizes a parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a student who offers “competent private instruction” to that student and is not subject to a driver’s license suspension or revocation, to instruct that student in driver’s education (Sec. 117).

• Defines “competent private instruction” as a private instruction provided on a daily basis under the supervision of a licensed practitioner (Sec. 114). 

• Appropriates an amount necessary from the general fund to make all school district property tax replacement payments (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text