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 August 2025
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Inside this issue:
Department of Education Resources
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Upcoming Deadlines
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Due Date
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What's Due
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August 1
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Foster Care Claim Due
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August 1
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Special Education Claims Due – Foster Care, District Court Placed, Nonpublic, High Cost
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August 1
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Juvenile Home Program Claim Due (AEAs only)
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August 15
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FY25 School Bus Driver Standard Authorizations Expire
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September 8
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Medicaid Data Breach Three-Year History Due
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September 12
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Request/Exhibit Deadline for October SBRC Hearing
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September 15
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CAR, SES, and ATR Applications Due
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September 30
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EL Excess Costs Application Due
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October 30
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Fall BEDS Staff Application Due
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October 30
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Operational Sharing Application Due
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November 3
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Facilities, Elections, and Sales Tax (FEST) Data Collection Due
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November 3
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School Association Reporting (SAR) Due
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Staff Contact Information
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Do you enjoy the topic of Iowa school finance in general? Are you intrinsically motivated to be a resource for others? Have you thought about the impact you could make at a state level being a resource for peers across the state? Consider joining our team! We will be accepting applications for an Education Program Consultant (School Finance - Accounting) position.
Posting: The position is anticipated to be posted by the end of August on the Department-specific State of Iowa Careers web page.
If you have questions about the position responsibilities or ways this person will make a difference internally and across the state, please reach out to Kassandra Cline at kassandra.cline@iowa.gov or 515-326-2242.
The Department hosted a webinar to review allowable uses of special education funding, including special education support services funds, on Wednesday, August 13. Panelists included Dr. Angelisa Fynaardt, Division Administrator for Regional Special Education; Mrs. Leisa Breitfelder, Division Administrator for Central Special Education; Dr. Kassandra Cline, Bureau Chief for the Bureau of School Business Operations; and Mr. Thomas Mayes, General Counsel.
A video recording of the webinar and the presentation is available on the Department’s Special Education Finance web page.
The Bureau of School Business Operations will be offering virtual office hours during the upcoming FY25 application submission period for the Certified Annual Report (CAR), Special Education Supplement (SES), and the Annual Transportation Report (ATR). Members of the Department’s team as well as other School Business Officials will be available to answer questions related to the applications. Mark your calendars and bring any questions related to the CAR, SES, or ATR. The schedule and topic information below is also available on the Department’s Certified Annual Report web page.
Virtual office hours dates and times:
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Date
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Time
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Tuesday, August 26
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1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
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Wednesday, August 27
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9:30 am - 11:00 am
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Wednesday, September 3
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1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
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Friday, September 5
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9:30 am - 11:00 am
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Tuesday, September 9
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1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
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Thursday, September 11
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1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
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Join the webinar:
https://IDOE.zoom.us/j/92631407487?pwd=pLb6PIaKZ2QYsYnM3yXity2X7ikfZa.1
Meeting ID: 926 3140 7487
Passcode: 545958
CAR instructions may be found on the Department’s Certified Annual Reports web page. For more information, see the CAR application article in the Applications section below titled “Certified Annual Report - Due September 15”.
SES instructions may be found on the Department’s Special Education Finance web page. For more information, see the SES application article in the Applications section below titled “Special Education Supplement - Due September 15".
ATR instructions may be found on the Department’s Pupil Transportation web page. For more information, see the ATR application article in the Applications section below titled “Annual Transportation Report - Due September 15”.
The 2025-26 Local Education Agency (LEA), Area Education Agency (AEA), and Infant Toddler program Medicaid rates are now posted on the Department’s School-Based Medicaid web page.
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Question: Will districts receive spending authority for the payments of education support personnel salary supplement (ESPSS)?
Answer: Yes. The Department issued warrants at the end of July 2025 for each district’s FY26 ESPSS allocation. The Department will include this amount as miscellaneous income at the end of FY26, thereby assigning additional spending authority for the same amount.
It is expected the funds will be fully expended in FY26. Additional information regarding FY26 ESPSS payments were published in the July School Business Alert (SBA) available on the Department’s SBA web page.
Question: How should the use of ESPSS funds be coded?
Answer: The district has flexibility to code the expenditure where appropriate.
- Regular wages (i.e., IPERS covered wages)
- Non-special education regular wages - Use the employee’s normal salary account code combination.
- Special education regular wages - Use the employee’s normal salary account code combination with Program 100, Project 0000 or 8XXX.
- Additional wages (e.g., recruitment payment, retention payment, or other incentive)
- Non-special education additional wages - Use the employee’s normal salary account code combination. Required dimensions include Fund XX, Function XXXX, and Object 1X9.
- Special education additional wages - Use the employee’s normal salary account code combination with Program 100, Project 0000 or 8XXX, Object 1X9.
Question: Can Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) funds be used to pay for employee benefits other than FICA and IPERS (e.g., health insurance, dental insurance)?
Answer: No. In accordance with Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-98.24, TSS funds cannot be used to pay employer-paid benefits other than FICA, IPERS, or a pension and annuity retirement system established under Iowa Code chapter 294.
Question: How do I know if the district is eligible to enter costs for the "SBRC Approval for Administrative Costs" section on Screen 8 of the SES?
Answer: Only districts with eligible programs pursuant to Iowa Administrative Code r. 289–6.6 and who were approved by the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) may charge administrative costs to the resident district’s special education program. Serving districts should include these amounts when billing districts in Special Education Billing (SEB), which will flow to screen 8 of the Special Education Supplement (SES). Only districts with eligible charges should enter the related amount in the "SBRC Approval for Administrative Costs" field in screen 8 of the SES.
FY25 SBRC-approved eligible programs include:
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District Name
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Program/Facility Name
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Cedar Rapids
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Transition Center/Polk Ed. Center
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Cedar Rapids
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Four Oaks - Tanager Place - ASAC
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College
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Prairie Edge - Four Oaks
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Council Bluffs
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Heartland Family Services/Children's Sq.
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Des Moines
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Ruby Van Meter
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Des Moines
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Orchard Place
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Glenwood
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APEX
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Grandwood Consortium in Woodward
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Grandwood
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Johnston
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ChildServe & Youth Homes
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Lied Center Consortium in Waverly-Shell Rock
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Bremwood - Lied Center
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Mason City
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Four Oaks & Francis Lauer
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River Hills Consortium in Cedar Falls
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River Hills
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Waverly-Shell Rock
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Bremwood
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Woodward-Granger
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Woodward Academy
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For districts whose resident student attends an approved program, the SBRC administrative costs will appear on their bills from the serving district and will appear on screen 8 of the SES.
All districts should review the special education bills to ensure special education administrative costs are only being charged if a resident student attended an eligible program, and the charges are correctly reflected in the special education surplus or deficit.
Questions regarding special education administrative costs can be sent to specialeducationfinance@iowa.gov.
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The CAR 2025 Upload and Reports application opens August 15 and is due September 15.
- Read the home screen of the application for important messages.
- Edits are required to be corrected.
- Review warnings to determine if they are applicable.
- Applicable warnings: Make the correction in the FY25 accounting software and upload a new file to the CAR application.
- Not applicable warnings: A comment is required to be provided for any warning that remains in the CAR at the time the application is certified. Be sure to explain why the warning does not apply.
- A “Certify” button will not appear until the file is edit free and comments have been made for each remaining warning.
- Note: The CAR 2025 COA Test Records application remains available for testing of individual records.
Extension Reminder: By rule, extensions are available only for good cause such as illness or death of the staff member responsible for the filing, acts of God, or unforeseeable unusual or unique circumstances (281 IAC 99.3). Please refer to the FY25 CAR Instructions on the Certified Annual Report web page for more information about extension requests. Extension requests can be emailed to kassandra.cline@iowa.gov, no sooner than two weeks prior to the due date and no later than two days prior to the due date.
Flexibility Account Reminder: If the district has expenditures paid from the flexibility fund account, the board-approved resolution required by Iowa Code subsection 298A.2(2) is statutorily required to be filed with the Department. Please send resolutions to song.luong1@iowa.gov.
Important Steps Prior to Certifying the CAR:
- Thoroughly review CAR data in the SES, ATR, and EL Excess Costs applications before certifying the CAR. Once certified, school districts, charter schools and AEAs will not be able to make changes to the CAR data.
- Review CAR reports in EdInsight to help ensure accuracy of the CAR submission.
- Certification order: CAR, ATR, SES.
CAR Reports: CAR reports are available in EdInsight in the Portal. Instructions to run CAR reports are in the How to Run CAR Reports on EdInsight document on the Certified Annual Report web page.
- Balance Sheet
- Review the balances of each account and compare it to the prior year.
- Review large variances to determine a reasonable explanation.
- Ensure all payables and receivables are recorded.
- Verify the fund balances are accurate.
- Verify that the committed fund balance matches the balance the board acted upon by June 30.
- For each fund:
- If there were expenditures against this balance during the year, verify that the balance was adjusted accordingly.
- If there is an assigned fund balance, verify it is accurate.
- Verify the amounts are as expected.
- Review and verify the expenditures for each categorical are appropriate.
- For proprietary and fiduciary funds (60 – 89), verify the balance of the Net Investment in Capital Assets (Account 760) equals the balance of the capital assets (Account 241) less accumulated depreciation (Account 242).
- Treasurer Report by Fund
- This report is a quick summary of beginning balance, revenues, expenditures, and ending balance. Compare the beginning balance to the beginning balance on the district’s accounting software. The adjustments to the beginning balance row is a forced adjustment if the report does not add up—this should be zero. Compare balances, revenues, and expenditures to the prior year for consistency. Research any large or unusual variances.
- Revenues and Expenditures
- Same as above. Compare values to the prior year and research large or unusual variances.
- Miscellaneous Income and Expenditure Report
- Same as above. Compare values to the prior year and research large or unusual variances.
- Does the maximum cash reserve levy amount seem correct in comparison to what was expected? If not, are all payables/expenditures coded? Are fund balances coded correctly?
The CAR is used extensively to provide the data required for state and federal reporting purposes, including reports to the United States Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the National Education Association (NEA).
For further questions or assistance with uploads, reports, account codes or journal entries, please contact Jina Brincks at jina.brincks@iowa.gov or 515-313-5942 or Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
The Special Education Supplement (SES) opens on August 15 and is available through the Iowa Education Portal. The SES is due September 15 and must be certified on or before that date. Districts must submit all the screens in order to ensure the deficit/surplus is calculated correctly before the SES is certified. Districts must receive board approval for the Modified Supplement Amount for their special education deficit. Districts can include this request on their September or October school board meeting agenda. Please upload the board minutes with the amount that was approved on the Certification Screen of the SES.
Best practice: Certify the CAR and ATR before certifying the SES. After the CAR and ATR are certified, go through each screen in the SES one more time to ensure all data is pulled in the SES from the other two applications.
For further questions related to the SES, please contact Valerie Moos at valerie.moos@iowa.gov or 515-393-8349.
The Annual Transportation Report (ATR) opens on August 15 and is available through the Ed Portal. The ATR is due September 15 and must be certified on or before that date.The application includes multiple items that are pre-populated from CAR data and the Vehicle Information System (VIS). There are four values the district must enter.
- Number of miles traveled
- Number of days buses operated
- Number of students transported
- Aggregate number of weeks students were transported
Troubleshooting tip: The number entered into the “Aggregate Number of Weeks” column should be the sum total of weeks for all individual riders – not the total number of weeks for riders as a group. For example, if buses ran for 36 weeks and 10 students rode the bus every week, the total aggregate weeks would be 360 (10 students x 36 weeks) rather than 36.
The aggregate weeks information is used to calculate the average number of students transported, which is shown in Line 1 of the "Miscellaneous" form of the application (total aggregate weeks/number of weeks = average number of students). This is a good item to spot check to make sure the number seems reasonable. Keep in mind a student need only ride a bus one time per week to be counted for one aggregate week.
Please refer to the ”Annual Transportation Report Instructions” document posted on the Department's Pupil Transportation web page. For further assistance, please contact Tom Simpson at tom.simpson@iowa.gov or 515-336-3965.
All school business officials, and all other district staff responsible for completing the Special Education Supplement, Special Education Billings, Claim Forms, and Medicaid Claiming, are reminded to check whether the contact person(s) listed for each of these applications is correct. Please verify that the individuals, telephone numbers, and email addresses are current. This process may be completed on the contact page of the Special Education Billing application in the EdPortal.
For further questions, please contact Valerie Moos at valerie.moos@iowa.gov or 515-393-8349.
The Fall BEDS Staff application is anticipated to open in early September. The Operational Sharing application is anticipated to be open October 1, with a certification deadline of October 30. The Fall BEDS Staff application is not required to be certified before completing the Operational Sharing application.
Reminder: Both the district holding the contract and the district purchasing a portion of the contract are required to report the shared individual in Fall BEDS Staff in order for the sharing to appear in the Operational Sharing application.
- The contract-holding district reports the individual’s entire salary, benefits, and full-time equivalent (FTE) according to the employee’s contract.
- The district purchasing a portion of the contract reports the combined amounts of salary and benefits in the “purchased amount” field. This field is located on the Edit Assignment screen where the district selects the shared status; there will be a new validation check for this field, if purchasing services. The district purchasing the service also reports the individual’s FTE according to the portion being purchased. The FTE field is located on the Edit Position screen.
The maximum FTEs a district can generate has been increased to 25 Senate File (SF) 167. Beginning with FY25 reporting, House File (HF) 2615 modifies Iowa Code section 257.11 to not include any supplementary weighting generated for a college and career transition counselor or coordinator toward the maximum 25 FTEs. If a district has an eligible sharing arrangement for a college and career transition counselor or coordinator, supplementary weighting may generate up to 27 FTEs. Sharing arrangements that qualify for supplementary weighting are limited to the position codes below reported in Fall BEDS Staff.
- Superintendent (9 FTEs)
- Business Management (each district can generate supplementary weighting for only one of the following) (4 FTEs)
- 612 - School Business Official (each district can only have one SBO)
- 133 - Other Business Official
- 112 - Board Secretary
- HR Manager (4 FTEs)
- Transportation Director (4 FTEs)
- 167 - Transportation Director
- Operation & Maintenance Director (4 FTEs)
- 168 - Operations Director
- Curriculum Director (2 FTEs)
- 633 - Director/Coordinator/Department Head
- Counselor (2 FTEs)
- Social Worker (2 FTEs) - must have master’s or independent license
- 624 - Social Worker - with Statement of Professional Recognition (SPR) from BoEE
- 198 - Social Worker (Non-BoEE licensed)
- Special Education Director (2 FTEs)
- 515 - Special Education Director
- Workplace Learning Coordinator (2 FTEs)
- 633 - Director/Coordinator/Department Head, assignment 50040
- Mental Health Professional with Statement of Professional Recognition (SPR) from BoEE (2 FTEs)
- 621 - Mental Health Professional
- School Resource Officer (2 FTEs)
- College and Career Counselor or Coordinator (2 FTEs)
- o 720 - College and Career Transition Counselor (licensed)
- o 199 - College and Career Transition Coordinator (non-licensed)
Each district that enters into an eligible sharing agreement with eligible sharing partner(s) will generate supplementary weighting as designated above. A district can only generate supplementary weighting for sharing one individual per position. If an individual holds two eligible operational sharing assignments and is shared with another district for both assignments, only one of the two positions will generate supplementary weighting, assuming the minimum 20 percent time requirement is met. Each partner does not have to use the shared individual for the same operational function, but the position held in each district must be a position eligible to generate supplementary weighting.
Social Workers must be licensed by the Iowa Department of Public Health and hold either a master social worker or independent social worker license. To verify a social worker’s license type, use the Iowa Department of Public Health’s online license search. Social Worker license numbers must be reported in Fall BEDS Staff.
For new sharing arrangements involving other governmental entities (e.g., city, county) that are not another Iowa public school district or AEA, please submit a copy of the sharing contract and job description to ted.bauer@iowa.gov.
This information is used to verify the sharing arrangement as eligible for generating supplementary weighting.
New sharing arrangements should begin at the beginning of the normal contract period. For example, a 12-month position begins July 1. A new sharing arrangement involving five districts, each purchasing 20 percent of the contract for a position that does not begin until November 1, would be ineligible for operational sharing during the first year of the arrangement. One-third of the year would have transpired. Each district would then have contracted for only two-thirds of 20 percent, or 13.3 percent (0.133 FTE) of the full-time equivalent. However, if a sharing arrangement is contracted to begin October 1 and involves only three partners, each purchasing a minimum of 27 percent of the full-time contract, each partner would then meet the 20 percent minimum (three-fourths of 0.27 = 0.203 FTE).
Questions regarding Fall BEDS Staff reporting can be directed to Shelly Wolterman at shelly.neese@iowa.gov or 515-336-3859. Additional information regarding reporting of shared positions in Fall BEDS Staff can be found on the Fall BEDS Staff Documentation section of the Fall BEDS web page.
Questions regarding eligible sharing arrangements can be directed to Ted Bauer at ted.bauer@iowa.gov or 515-979-5468.
The EL Excess Costs application (formerly LEP Allowable Costs application), due September 30, 2025, is anticipated to be available on the Iowa Education Portal as an optional application beginning September 2, 2025. If eligible (see Line 21 of the application), districts may request modified supplemental amount (MSA) (i.e., spending authority) from the SBRC for the costs in excess of weightings and other resources for providing its EL program.
The EL Excess Costs application is populated using district data from the Certified Annual Report (FY24 and FY25 CAR), Student Reporting in Iowa (fall 2024 and spring 2025), Certified Enrollment (fall 2024), and Fall BEDS Staff (fall 2024). The application includes only costs for students who were served in an English Language (EL) program during the 2024-2025 school year.
Submission requirements:
- Enter data, if applicable, in the lines below.
- Line 19: Enter revenue not captured. (Enter any revenue not already reflected in the application. An example is revenue received from other districts.)
- Line 20: Enter expenditures captured in the calculation that are not eligible to include. (An example is costs for an EL teacher whose contract is partially purchased by another district.)
- Line 22: Enter the amount of MSA the district is requesting.
- Board minutes approving the request, including the amount.
- Recommend approval at the September board meeting.
- Upload board minutes to the application.
- If board minutes are not available prior to the September 30 due date, certify the request, complete the “File Upload Promise Date”, which is generally two business days after the board meeting at which related action will occur, and then upload board minutes by the date provided.
- Board action template language: EL Excess Costs - The district’s administration is authorized to submit a request to the SBRC for a modified supplemental amount of $XXX due to excess costs of providing the EL program in the prior year. Ayes: ______, Nays: ________The motion _______ by a vote of _____.
For further questions regarding the EL Excess Cost application, please contact Ted Bauer at 515-979-5468 or ted.bauer@iowa.gov.
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Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) School Safety is hosting a virtual training on back-to-school safety and emergency preparedness actions for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools.
The start of the school year provides a critical window for school and district leaders to reinforce a culture of safety and preparedness among students and staff. This interactive panel discussion will equip K-12 administrators with practical strategies to integrate emergency response drills, trainings, and exercises as core components of a safe and secure learning environment.
Attendees will gain insight into updating and sustaining crisis response and reunification plans with an emphasis on ensuring plans are well understood and practiced by staff and students. The session will also provide actionable tools and guidance to support the implementation of developmentally-appropriate preparedness efforts throughout the school year.
Event Details
- When: August 28, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Where: Microsoft Teams Live (access link to be provided to registrants one day in advance of the event)
- Registration: K12SafetyPreparedness.eventbrite.com
The subject matter covered during this event will be particularly relevant to school and district administrators, K-12 school security staff, emergency management professionals, school resource officers and school-based law enforcement personnel, state and local law enforcement, parents and guardians, and other members of the school safety community. If you have any questions, please contact CISA School Safety at SchoolSafety@mail.cisa.dhs.gov.
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School districts should work to ensure community partners understand allowable uses of Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) funds. The community partner contract should also clearly indicate the documentation necessary to demonstrate, for auditing purposes, that SWVPP funds were expended for appropriate uses, the frequency that such documentation must be provided to the district, and potential implications if the terms for providing documentation are not met, including the reversion of community partner funding to the district.
By statute, the district must flow SWVPP funds to its community partners; however, if a community partner does not expend the full amount allocated, all remaining unexpended funds must be returned to the district no later than June 30 of the program year (281 IAC 98.13(2)"b" and "c"). Additionally, the district may require the return of any funds already expended that do not have the documentation necessary to illustrate the funds were used appropriately.
Additional information relating to SWVPP Finance is available on the Department’s SWVPP web page under the Resource for SWVPP Educators section in the Finance FAQs for the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program.
Programming questions relating to the SWVPP can be directed to Mary Breyfogle at mary.breyfogle@iowa.gov or 515-326-1030.
Finance questions relating to the SWVPP finance can be directed to Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
The Student Activity Fund, as a special revenue fund, is used to ensure funds received to support student activities (e.g., gate receipts, fundraiser proceeds) are restricted for the purpose intended. However, the Student Activity Fund is not the only available source to pay for costs related to student activities. Below are a few common examples of costs related to student activities that could be appropriately expended from another fund.
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Expenditure
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Student Activity Fund
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General Fund
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Capital Project Fund
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Enterprise Fund
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Staff salary/benefits
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Activity group meeting expenses
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Yes
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Yes
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If capital item
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Yes
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Computer for student groups
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Yes
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Yes
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If capital item
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Yes
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Activity group competition fees
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Equipment
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Yes
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Yes
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If capital item
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Yes
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Student travel costs
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Uniform
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Coaching apparel
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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Construction
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No
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No
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Yes
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No
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Questions and answers regarding allowable sources to pay for costs related to the student activity program are available in the Student Activity Fund section of the Department’s Levies and Funds page Student Activity Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions.
Further questions can be directed to Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
English Learner (EL) Expenditure Coding
This article serves as the annual reminder regarding expenditure coding for the district’s EL program.
- Use Program 41X to identify EL expenditures.
- District expenditures coded to Project 1112 (property tax and state aid financed weighted EL and School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) modified supplemental amount (MSA) for EL) or Project 4644 (Title III - English Language Acquisition State Grants) cannot exceed the revenues coded to Project 1112 or 4644 respectively.
- EL expenditures in excess of all available restricted funding should retain Program 41X and include Project 0000.
- EL program expenditures that do not include Program 41X will not appear in the EL Excess Costs Application.
- Continue to use Program 41X for excess EL expenditures, even though the project code may be changed to 0000.
Appropriate and inappropriate uses of EL funds are found in Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-98.16. Very few expenditures that fall into the executive, building, or business administrative functions, or the operations and maintenance, transportation, and community service functions are appropriate uses of EL funds. While these may be related costs, they are not direct costs of providing the district’s EL program; therefore, the costs cannot be included in a request to the SBRC for excess costs of providing the program.
Reporting EL Instructional and Support Staff in Fall BEDS Staff
Districts that report expenditures for salaries but do not report a teacher with an appropriate English as a Second Language (ESL) assignment code in Fall BEDS Staff will not be able to submit a request to the SBRC for excess EL costs incurred during the 2024-2025 school year. Please review Fall BEDS Staff to ensure teachers in a district’s EL program have been appropriately identified with the position of Regular Education Teacher and assigned to the ESL program; there are separate elementary and secondary ESL assignments.
Identifying staff: Visit the Iowa Education Portal. Select the Fall BEDS Staff application. Under “Staff Filters” in the upper right on the District/Staff page, set the Program field to ESL. All teachers and paraprofessionals assigned to the program will appear when filtering on ESL. Additional individuals, such as administrators or coordinators of the EL program, may also appear. Data in the 2024-2025 Fall BEDS Staff application can be viewed, but not edited at this time.
Common Reporting Problems
Problem 1: Missing staff
The teacher will not appear when filtering on program = ESL if the program assignment has been identified as “No special program”. Edit the position and change the program to ESL.
Problem 2: Missing staff when a teacher has multiple assignments (22% EL, 78% regular education)
In this example, the teacher has two assignments, one of which belongs under “No special program". The other assignment belongs under the ESL program. Seventy-eight percent of this teacher’s salary and benefits will be paid from non-EL sources (e.g., unobligated General Fund monies, teacher salary supplement), while twenty-two percent can be paid from EL sources. For this teacher, the ESL assignment will need to be deleted from the “No special program” and the FTE will require a modification from 1.00 to 0.78. A new position of Regular Education Teacher, FTE = 0.22, and program = ESL needs to be created. The ESL assignment will then be added to the new position.
Problem 3: A teacher with a regular curriculum course assignment coded to a categorical program
This teacher is coded to two different categorical programs (ESL and Special Education); however, a third program (No special program) is required. The entry for the third program must have a position of regular education teacher and an FTE equivalent to the portion of contract time the teacher is assigned to teach the Creative Writing course. The Creative Writing assignment must be moved to the newly created position. The FTE must also be modified to reflect only the portion of time the teacher is assigned to the ESL assignment. The portion of time (FTE), the program, and the funding stream from which the teacher will be paid should be in agreement.
Please make sure all data submitted to the Department are reviewed for accuracy. There will not necessarily be validation errors on the positions, assignments, or programs in Fall BEDS Staff. Inaccurate reporting in one application can impact other applications as well.
For questions related to the Fall BEDS Staff application, please contact Shelly Wolterman at shelly.neese@iowa.gov or 515-336-3859.
Account coding questions can be directed to Jina Brincks at jina.brincks@iowa.gov or 515-313-5942 or Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
All nonpublic transportation claims have been processed and warrants were issued at the end of July. The distribution of funds to be retained by the district or paid to families or contractors is available in the FY25 Nonpublic Transportation Claim application in the EdPortal. The prorated claim amounts per claim type are populated in the yellow highlighted columns on the right side of the page.
Tip: Ensure the 2024-2025 school year is selected in the upper right hand side of the page.
For questions, please contact Tom Simpson at tom.simpson@iowa.gov or 515-336-3965.
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The Iowa Chart of Account Coding, found on the Department's Uniform Financial Accounting web page, is regularly updated to reflect changes necessary to meet fiscal reporting needs.
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Account Code
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Description
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Source/Project 4029
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Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) (FAL/CFDA 16.321) (Jul25)
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Deposits made into student/adult meal accounts in the Nutrition Fund (Fund 61) are unearned revenue and must be recorded in balance sheet Account 483, Unearned Revenues. These monies are to be accounted for as a liability in the event there are refunds when a student/adult leaves the district. When students/adults make purchases from their meal account, the purchase becomes a sale with Source 16XX. Districts may record student/adult sales monthly using reports or data from the point of sale (POS) system.
For further questions, please contact Jina Brincks at jina.brincks@iowa.gov or 515-313-5942 or Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
The accounting period in which funds are available for use (i.e., received in the district's bank account) will impact how the funds are recorded. Funds that are received within the 60-day accrual period (i.e., by August 31) are recorded as the current year revenue with an account receivable. Funds that are received after the 60-day accrual period (i.e., after August 31) are recorded as a deferred inflow in the current year to be accounted as revenue for the next fiscal year.
Journal entries for funds that are received in the district’s bank account by August 31, 2025 are listed below.
- FY25: Record the revenue to the appropriate project/source as FY25 revenue with an account receivable.
Debit Account 141, Project XXXX
Credit Project/Source XXXX
- FY26: Record the cash against the receivable created in FY25.
Debit Account 10X
Credit Account 141, Project XXXX
Journal entries for funds that are received in the district’s bank account after August 31, 2025 are listed below.
- FY25: Record a receivable and deferred inflow.
Debit Account 141, Project XXXX
Credit Account 623, Project XXXX
- FY26: Upon funds being received, reverse the receivable and deferred inflow entry created in FY25.
Debit Account 623, Project XXXX
Credit Account 141, Project XXXX
- FY26: Record the revenue to the appropriate project/source as FY26 revenue.
Debit Account 10X
Credit Project/Source XXXX
If revenue has already been recorded as an account receivable (debit Account 141, Project XXXX and credit Project/Source XXXX) but funds are not received by August 31, 2025 as anticipated, districts will need to convert the account receivable to a deferred inflow.
- FY25: Convert the receivable account to a deferred inflow.
Debit Project/Source XXXX
Credit Account 623, Project XXXX
- FY26: Upon funds being received, reverse the receivable and deferred inflow entry created in FY25.
Debit Account 623, Project XXXX
Credit Account 141, Project XXXX
- FY26: Record the revenue to the appropriate project/source as FY26 revenue.
Debit Account 10X
Credit Project/Source XXXX
Further questions can be directed to Jina Brincks at jina.brincks@iowa.gov or 515-313-5942 or Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259.
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It is the responsibility of the local district to determine student residency pursuant to Iowa Code section 282.1, which defines residency.
Additional questions can be directed to Ted Bauer at ted.bauer@iowa.gov or 515-979-5468 or Sara Nickel at sara.nickel@iowa.gov or 515-281-3778.
Pursuant to Iowa Code section 296.2, a petition signed by eligible electors equal in number to 25 percent of those voting at the last election of school officials shall be filed with the president of the board of directors before it is accepted for filing.
- The school board president shall call a meeting of the board within 10 days of receipt of a petition for a school bond election, pursuant to Iowa Code section 296.3. The meeting shall be held within 30 days after the petition is received.
- At the board meeting the board will call the election, fixing the time of the election as required by Iowa Code section 39.2(4)”d”.
Iowa Code section 39.2(4)”d” defines when bond elections can be held. As of July 1, 2023, an election for voters to consider the issuance of bonds or other indebtedness can be held only on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
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Date Criteria
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2025
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2026
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2027
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2028
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2029
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2030
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November - first Tuesday, following the first Monday
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November 4
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November 3
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November 2
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November 7
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November 6
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November 5
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Questions can be directed to Ted Bauer at ted.bauer@iowa.gov or 515-979-5468.
Question: How is ACHIEVE access granted to district employees?
Answer: The steps required to gain access to ACHIEVE are provided below.
- The employee must have an EdPortal account.
- The district employee who works with the Student Information System (SIS) needs to set up the employee requesting access in the SIS with an ACHIEVE user role.
- An overnight sync will occur.
The following day, the employee should be able to access ACHIEVE by logging in through the EdPortal.
Information regarding Iowa’s Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) program can be found on the Department's Students First Education Savings Accounts web page.
Reminder: Student Reporting in Iowa (SRI) codes are available for students who are sent from their resident district to another district (tuition out) pursuant to a 28E agreement for a Home School Assistance Program (HSAP), who are also dual enrolled in their resident district for academics and/or activities. Students will be kept actively enrolled by the resident district.
Questions regarding SRI codes can be sent to Rachel Kruse at rachel.kruse@iowa.gov or 515-281-4153.
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For questions relating to School-Based Medicaid or other topics in this section, contact Amy DeVault at amy.devault@iowa.gov or 515-326-1032.
The Department is required to submit an annual report identifying the year’s Medicaid Exclusion/Suspension Verifications that were reported, including listing non-compliant providers.
Iowa Medicaid school-based providers are required to check two sources each month to capture employee exclusions and suspensions: the federal list is available on the LEIE Downloadable Database web page and the state list is available on the Iowa HHS Program Integrity web page.
A search of these sources is to occur monthly to confirm individuals whose services are billed to Medicaid are not excluded. It is important that a district does not bill for services provided by an excluded or suspended individual.
ACTION ITEM:
In August, please send a report listing each staff member whose services were billed during FY25. Only list each individual once and include the individual’s date of birth and the last 4 digits of their Social Security number.
NEW: The Exclusion and Suspensions Yearly Check Template is available on the School-Based Medicaid web page, under the Guiding Practices section.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) has requested an assurance from each school district that a Medicaid data breach did not occur.
ACTION ITEM:
- No data breach: Send email to Amy DeVault attesting no data breach has occurred within the last three years.
- Data breach occurred: Send email to Amy DeVault providing the date of the data breach and the date the breach was reported.
Receiving districts are required to provide to the resident districts the documentation necessary to seek Medicaid reimbursement for eligible IEP-ordered health services (Iowa Code § 282.18(8)”c”). Either the receiving or resident district may bill Medicaid for these eligible services. Thus, it is recommended the districts have an agreement in place at the beginning of the year defining which district will submit the Medicaid billing.
If the district will have a new lead for School-Based Medicaid in 2025-26, please have them contact Amy DeVault.
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Questions relating to the articles below may be sent to State Director for Pupil Transportation, Tom Simpson at tom.simpson@iowa.gov or 515-336-3965 or one of the inspectors below.
Standard school bus driver authorizations issued in the 2024-2025 school year expires on August 15. Beginning July 1, school districts have access to issue new authorizations in the Driver Authorization System (DAS) application located in the Ed Portal. Authorizations should be updated between July 1 and August 15 to avoid a lapse in driving eligibility.
Action items:
- If a driver is no longer employed as a driver for the school district or contractor, please delete the individual from the DAS system by selecting “Delete”.
- Review the driver list for yellow or orange highlighting, reflecting missing or expired items. Expired licensing, physicals, and/or training records will need to be updated to obtain a new authorization.
Steps to issue a new authorization are provided below.
- Log in to the EdPortal.
- Under EdInfo, select “Transportation Applications”, then “Driver Authorization System".
- Select “Driver Information” menu, then “Manage Driver”.
- Click on the “Authorization” button, select the appropriate authorization, then click “Submit”.
- Tip: Ensure authorizations are printed for each driver. Drivers are required to carry school bus authorizations while operating a school bus.
Failure to possess an accurately reported, current authorization can result in a citation from law enforcement.
Beginning July 1, 2025, the online component of the School Transportation Operators’s Program (S.T.O.P.) for new school bus drivers has transitioned to AEA Learning Online. The training application is currently in production and the Department will notify districts when it is available.
In addition to the change in delivery, the training has been updated with the priorities listed below.
- The AEA Online interface is more user friendly and already familiar to drivers for other required training.
- The updated content does not overlap with ELDT training requirements.
- The content is relevant for both yellow school bus drivers and Type III school bus drivers.
- The updated content is much shorter than the previous 14-hour online portion.
- The training is available at no cost to the driver or employer.
- Applies to all new drivers after July 1, 2025.
All districts/schools that opt in to AEA Online already have a verification code. This includes many public and nonpublic schools. Bus drivers that need to establish new accounts must include the related verification code in their profile. Once affiliated, each driver will be able to access the training at no cost to them or the school. Drivers may access the step-by-step tutorial for setting up a new account.
Please note, drivers from nonpublic school partners and contractors will also be able to access this training at no cost.
Tip for nonpublic schools and contractors: Step 7 specifically addresses how to affiliate an account with a district.
Other helpful tips related to the online training include the items listed below.
- The online portion and the face-to-face portion are now independent and may be taken in any order.
- The online training no longer requires a final proctored exam. Each module includes an independent test.
- All drivers now have the option to test out of each module by scoring 80% or better on the pretest.
The face-to-face component of the new driver S.T.O.P training and the annual renewal training for returning drivers will continue to be offered through local community colleges and Mississippi Bend AEA.
Questions related to the updated online S.T.O.P. training for new drivers should be directed to Tom Simpson at tom.simpson@iowa.gov or 515-336-3965.
“See Tracks? Think Train Week” (formerly Rail Safety Week) is September 15-21, 2025.
According to the Operation Lifesaver Rail Safety Education website, “See Tracks? Think Train Week” is a focused campaign spotlighting the critical importance of making safe choices around railroad tracks and trains. The See Tracks? Think Train Week web page offers statistics and free training materials related to rail safety.
Operation Lifesaver also offers free presentations on highway-rail grade crossing safety. Authorized volunteers are available to provide rail safety programs in school classrooms and for school bus drivers and other student transportation professionals. Presentations can be requested on the “Request a Presentation” page of the Operation Lifesaver website.
Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-44 requirements for first aid kits are uniform for all vehicles used for student transportation. Type III vehicles, regardless of capacity, require the same first aid kits as yellow school buses.
281-44.5(2)e. First aid kit. A first aid kit meeting the national recommendations (most current National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures Manual—first aid kit) is required on all vehicles used for student transportation.
The 2015 National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures Manual provides the requirements listed below.
First Aid Kit
- The bus shall have a removable, moisture-proof and dust-proof first aid kit in an accessible place in the driver’s compartment. It shall be mounted and identified as a first aid kit. The location for the first aid kit shall be marked.
- Suggested contents include:
- 2 – 1-inch x 2 ½ yards of adhesive tape rolls
- 24 – Sterile gauze pads 3x3 inches
- 100 – ¾ x 3 inches adhesive bandages
- 8 – 2-inch bandage compress
- 10 – 3-inch bandage compress
- 2 – 2-inch x 6 foot sterile gauze roller bandages
- 2 – Non-sterile triangular bandages, minimum 39x35x54 inches with two safety pins
- 3 – Sterile gauze pads 36x36 inches
- 3 – Sterile eye pads
- 1 – Rounded-end scissors
- 1 – Pair medical examination gloves
- 1 – Mouth-to-mouth airway
“That light worked this morning!” is a phrase often heard by the Department’s school bus inspectors. The inoperable light may be a 30-day deficiency or it may cause the vehicle to be put in an out-of-service condition until repairs are made. Regardless of the severity of the deficiency, it is entirely possible that the light did work that morning.
Tires, however, are a different story. Tires marked deficient by Department inspectors often show alarming signs of excessive treadwear that can not occur in the course of a single morning. Excessive treadwear found by inspectors is a clear indication that either proper pre-trip inspections are not being performed, deficiencies are not being reported, or deficiencies are not being timely corrected.
Transportation supervisors should ensure that drivers are performing proper pre-trip inspections prior to transporting students in any vehicle, are aware of how deficiencies should be reported, and ensure deficiency corrections are timely scheduled and completed. One critical safety component of any trip is tire condition. Tires should be properly inflated, free from defects or damage, and have tread depth in excess of the minimum required by law to help ensure the safest trip possible.
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It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, political party affiliation, or actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code sections 216.9 and 256.10(2), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C.§§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.). If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy by the Iowa Department of Education, please contact the legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, telephone number: 515-281-5295, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204-3582, telephone number: 303-844-5695, TDD number: 800-877-8339, email: OCR.Denver@ed.gov.
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