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In the coming weeks, the Department will be sending a letter to every senior at an Iowa public high school with information about the public university, private college and university, and community college options available to them. This new, statewide “Claim Your Future” initiative helps ensure all seniors are aware of in-state college options available to them, many with automatic admissions guaranteeing acceptance. Financial aid information and next steps for the application and admissions processes are also included.
If they have not already, the letter encourages students to take immediate steps to:
- Complete their college or university applications through the QR codes provided.
- Reach out to their school counselor or a school’s admissions office for additional support.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Complete the Iowa Financial Aid Application (IFAA) to apply for all state scholarships and grants.
Thank you for supporting Iowa’s seniors in using this actionable information as they claim their future!
Please contact Section Chief Ryan Zantingh at ryan.zantingh@iowa.gov with questions.
Supported by the block grant for Federal State-Level ESEA Funds recently approved in Iowa’s Unified Allocation Plan, the Department is launching statewide professional learning to narrow and close achievement gaps experienced by English Learners. Beginning this spring, two cohorts of educators and leaders in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids will participate in half-day, in-person interactive foundational workshops facilitated by the Department in partnership with the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Virtual sessions of one hour each will follow, designed to reinforce learning and support classroom application. This English Learner differentiation professional development is grounded in adult learning theory, aligned to the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning, and offered at no cost to participants or schools.
Please contact Bureau Chief Jillian Dotson at jillian.dotson@iowa.gov with questions.
Please join the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council and the Department in congratulating six outstanding teachers as the 2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Award recipients:
- Justin Heckman - Southwest Region, Council Bluffs Community School District
- Jared Almandinger - South Central Region, Waukee Community School District
- Pamela Joslyn - Southeast Region, Muscatine Community School District
- Alan Bandstra - Northwest Region, Sioux Center Christian School
- Anna Brooks - North Central Region, Ames Community School District
- Dylan Shaffer - Northeast Region, Monticello Community School District
Like their colleagues across Iowa, these teachers are recognized for advancing student interest and achievement in STEM through evidence-based instruction and career-connected learning. Each will receive a monetary gift, sponsored by Google, of $1,500 for personal use and a second of $1,500 to be used in their classrooms. Teachers were nominated by students, colleagues, administrators or other stakeholders.
Please contact the Bureau Chief Justin Lewis at justin.lewis@iowa.gov with questions.
Earlier this month, Iowa launched the state’s new Health Care Professional Incentive Program, designed to recruit and retain medical professionals to meet health care demands in high-need counties across Iowa. A state investment of nearly $8 million is available for this first year of awards.
Established by House File 972, which was proposed by Gov. Reynolds and signed into law in May 2025, the Health Care Professional Incentive Program will provide financial awards to eligible health care professionals who commit to practicing in high-demand fields in underserved counties for up to five consecutive years for full-time employment and seven consecutive years for part-time employment. The deadline to apply is March 31. More information about the Health Care Professional Incentive Program, including detailed eligibility criteria, award amounts and application instructions, is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s Health Care Professional Incentive Program webpage.
Please contact Section Chief Ryan Zantingh at ryan.zantingh@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department will host Every Learner Forward, a no-cost professional learning conference, at the Iowa Events Center July 7–9. This three-day event will feature sessions designed to support educators in engaging all learners and promoting success across grade levels and content areas. Session topics will include:
- Engaging Learners with Access for All
- Engaging Learners with Emphasis on Scaffolding, Monitoring, and Accountability
- Language Support Strategies for English Learners
- Safe & Civil Early Stage Intervention (CHAMPS Extension)
- Specially Designed Instruction – Preschool, K–6 Literacy, Secondary Transition and Behavior
More details, including registration information and a full agenda, will be shared soon. Mark your calendars and plan to join us this summer!
Please contact Administrative Consultant Sarah Seney at sarah.seney@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is excited to offer an eighth round of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional development at no cost for PK–8 educators and administrators. Iowa’s statewide investment in helping our dedicated educators do their best work is a critical component supporting Iowa’s 11% increase from third to fourth grade in English Language Arts from 2024 to 2025
This training provides an in-depth understanding of the Science of Reading and supports the implementation of evidence-based literacy practices, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. Up to 400 licenses are available across early childhood, elementary, and administrator tracks, as well as district cohort options. More than 6,000 Iowa educators have already participated, strengthening literacy instruction and supporting grade-level proficiency and improved outcomes for students.
For more information on this latest round of professional development visit the Iowa LETRS website.
The United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. This milestone is an opportunity to explore the nation’s founding principles and Iowa’s important role in American history. The Department’s America 250 webpage includes resources for Iowa teachers and students, like our Iowa Veterans Research Project and Iowa America 250 Student Contest. Please explore our America 250 webinar series, targeted to educators who wish to build their content and pedagogical knowledge in social studies.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Stefanie Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department will host the next Special Education Policy and Practice Webinar on Extended School Year Services on March 11 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. via Zoom. The webinar provides an overview of Extended School Year Services (ESYS), including decision-making considerations, legal requirements, and best practices for planning and implementation. The session will also address common misunderstandings about ESYS and provide strategies for administrators to ensure compliant decisions and implementation are occurring.
Join the webinar on Zoom using passcode 431127. No registration is required, and the same link will be used for all sessions.
Upcoming Webinar Dates and Topics:
- Extended School Year (ESY): March 11
- FAPE – Special Requests: April 8
- Dispute Resolution: May 13
- End-of-Year Program Evaluation (ACHIEVE) and Year-to-Year Data Comparison: June 10
Recordings, materials and resources from the 2025–26 and 2024–25 webinar series are available on the Department’s Policy and Practice Webinar webpage.
Please contact the SDI Literacy Consultant Mary Beilke at mary.beilke@iowa.gov with questions.
The second webinar in a series of support for accredited nonpublic schools serving students eligible for special education will be on Wednesday, March 25, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. using the same Zoom link used for the Special Education Policy and Practice webinars: Join the webinar on Zoom using passcode 431127. No registration is required, and the same link will be used for all sessions.
The March webinar will be focused on Child Find and the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The audience for these webinars include nonpublic school administrators and staff as well as LEA and AEA administrators who work with nonpublic schools. The webinar recordings and resources are posted on a new webpage for Accredited Nonpublic Schools and Special Education.
Please contact the Special Education Nonpublic School Liaison Janelle Danner at janelle.danner@iowa.gov with questions.
Districts should be working with their legal counsel on implementation of the DOJ rule regarding accessibility requirements. Districts that have a community population over 50,000 that reside in the district’s boundaries have a deadline of April 24 to meet those requirements. All other districts have a deadline of April 24, 2027. More information can be found in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Rule Guidance brochure and handout.
Please contact Division Administrator Leisa Breitfelder at leisa.breitfelder@iowa.gov with questions.
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Did you know that the Department regularly highlights district and school successes that are making a positive impact on students, families and communities? The headlines section of the Department’s website highlights best practices across the state, and we want to know about your “Profiles in Excellence" to feature in upcoming stories, videos and social media efforts!
In addition to sharing these stories statewide through our communication channels, we also pitch the stories to local media outlets. The Department’s story about the middle and high school Brain Health Retreat Rooms at the Ottumwa Community School District, along with the corresponding video, were recently published in the Ottumwa Courier. Additionally, the Department’s headline story featuring AI policy work spearheaded by the Winterset Community School District was recently picked up and published in the Winterset Madisonian.
Please contact Communications Director Heather Doe at heather.doe2@iowa.gov to share your great work that we can include in future stories and videos.
The Governor’s School Safety Bureau is developing a comprehensive School Safety Assessment Management framework, commonly referred to as Behavioral Threat Assessment Management. Under Senate File 583, this is an important step in ensuring districts have consistent, effective, and practical support for preventing and responding to potential threats to student and staff safety.
Please take a three-minute, optional survey closing March 6. Your input will provide baseline information so that real-world district practices, capacity, and needs drive the Department and the Governor’s School Safety Bureau’s statewide supports.
Please contact School Safety Consultant DeAnne Sesker at deanne.sesker@iowa.gov with questions.
The statewide Master Services Agreement with GeoComm to establish a per-campus pricing structure for services has been finalized. As the current contract sunsets on April 26, districts seeking to continue services beginning May 1 and beyond should contact GeoComm to discuss next steps. Please also encourage districts to reach out to their local law enforcement, fire department, and emergency management partners for input.
Please contact Matt Werner at GeoComm at mwerner@geocomm.com or call 937-606-4396.
The Department is accepting applications for the 2026-27 Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program through March 20. Sponsored through a partnership between the Department and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain, the program provides opportunities for school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to fill vacant Spanish and dual-language teaching positions with highly qualified educators from Spain for a period of three to five years.
Application materials and additional information about the exchange program can be found on the Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program webpage.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Stefanie Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov with questions.
Educator applications for the STEM Scale-Up Program are open now through March 10 in IowaGrants.gov. Beginning in 2026–27, the Department is piloting a three-year model featuring three program offerings, designed to create more meaningful impact through sustained time, focus, and support by investing more deeply in each offering. A complete description of each provider can be found on the STEM Scale-Up Program website.
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STEMwonder (PK-3) – Presented by the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa, this program provides carefully curated kits of materials that engage students in science and engineering concepts through play-based, integrated STEM and literacy experiences. Learning introduces participants to phenomena through three STEMwonder experiences: Engineering Ramps and Pathways, Engineering Images Using Light and Shadow, and Engineering Balance.
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Exploring AI and the Future of Work (4-12) – Presented by CodeJoy LLC, this program offers a focused and engaging learning experience to support classroom AI integration through hands-on activities. The curriculum connects AI and computational thinking to economic sectors and computer science using micro:bit systems.
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FIRST Tech Challenge (7-12) – Presented by the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa, this program engages students in designing, building, and programming robots to compete in events. FTC emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving through team-based competitions, empowering students to complete increasingly complex engineering challenges.
Please contact the Iowa STEM team at info@iowastem.org with questions.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Department, will be participating in the S-EBT program for summer 2026. Eligible students will receive S-EBT benefits for the use of purchasing food during the summer months. Data for this program will initially be based on Student Reporting in Iowa (SRI). An additional reporting option will be available for nonpublic schools not reporting in SRI. More information will be provided to schools over the next few months.
Please contact idoe.sebt@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is currently seeking sponsors for the USDA summer nutrition programs that provide healthy meals and snacks to children in low-income areas of the state during the summer months. To ensure timely approval for summer operations, sponsors who operated in the prior year must submit their renewal application for the Summer Food Service Program or Seamless Summer Option in IowaCNP by May 1. Eligible schools that did not serve as a summer sponsor last year and are interested in participating in summer 2026 should contact Stephanie Dross, Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, by April 15.
Please contact Lead Education Program Consultant Stephanie Dross at stephanie.dross@iowa.gov with questions.
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The statutory deadline to submit an electronic (word-searchable PDF) copy of the audit report for FY2025, including the management letter(s) if issued separately, to the Auditor of State is March 31. Copies must also be submitted to the Iowa Department of Education by that date. Please email FY2025 audit reports to the Auditor of State at submitreports@aos.iowa.gov and the Department at ed.audit@iowa.gov.
Extension requests may be made in writing to the Auditor of State by the filing deadline and must be for good cause. Please email extension requests to dana.davis@aos.iowa.gov.
Please contact Chief Financial Officer Sandi Hurtado-Peters at Sandra.Hurtado-Peters1@iowa.gov with questions.
Conditional Class B licenses are available for educators needed for the 2026–27 school year. Please clearly indicate on the employment verification that the license is being requested for the 2026–27 school year. A documented diligent search is required for Executive Director decisions and for hiring a substitute to fill an open position for the upcoming school year. Districts should continue to advertise and actively recruit for open positions. Board of Educational Examiners staff will begin issuing Executive Director decisions in May, provided the diligent search requirement has been met. The substitute online application for the 2026–27 school year will open in late July 2026.
Please contact Education Program Consultants Geri McMahon at geri.mcmahon@iowa.gov or David Wempen at david.wempen@iowa.gov with questions.
All districts (Levels 1, 2, and 3) are required to complete both the IDEA-DA data review protocol and the implementation plan in ACHIEVE by March 13. Materials to support completion of these processes are available on the IDEA-DA website.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Mary Beilke at mary.beilke@iowa.gov with questions.
The CTE Bureau has launched this year’s Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) for Perkins V funding. All districts, whether stand-alone or part of a consortium, must complete the CLNA before submitting the Perkins grant application. The CLNA supports local review of student performance, program quality, and workforce alignment so Perkins investments target the highest needs. The CTE Bureau has created technical assistance documents and compiled data files districts can use to streamline analysis and planning. These can be found on the Perkins V section of the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Shelly Duwa at shelly.duwa@iowa.gov with questions.
If your district plans to participate in the E-Rate Program for the 2026–27 school year, the application window is open through Wednesday, April 1, at 10:59 p.m. CDT. This program provides discounts on telecommunications services (such as data circuits and internet access) as well as internal connections (such as routers and switches).
Please contact Iowa E-Rate Coordinator Pam Jacobs at pam.jacobs@iowa.gov with questions.
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 Visit and subscribe to the Annual Notices and Deadlines Calendar for a list of state and federal notices and deadlines for all public and nonpublic schools.
(Revised 7-1-25)
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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