Half of Iowa Tuition Grant funds could go to students in ‘high-demand' fields
A bill that would funnel a portion of Iowa Tuition Grant dollars toward high-demand job fields passed out of subcommittee Tuesday afternoon despite concerns from private college representatives about how it could impact students.
House Study Bill 62 would require the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, which oversees the Iowa Tuition Grant program, to allocate 50% of funds for the program to students earning degrees that 'correspond to high-wage and high-demand jobs,' based on a list created by the state workforce development board and the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
Criteria for job fields to be put on the list include a starting salary of at least $40,000, the acquirement of a bachelor's degree or initial or intern teaching license for Iowa, and either a projected at-least 1% annual growth rate of new job openings or predicted annual job openings of at least 250 positions over the next five years, according to the legislation.
The Iowa Tuition Grant program, founded more than 50 years ago, provides scholarships to qualifying students attending an Iowa private university. Gary Steinke, president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said during the meeting this bill would negatively impact students who most need the financial aid, and those who hope to study religion, alongside other important programs.
'This is a bill that really targets most low-income Iowa students,' Steinke said.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Steinke said faith-based universities are also concerned about the legislation, as it could impact the many students who are seeking an education grounded in faith and religion, with majors that might not qualify as leading to a high-demand job field.
Mark Felderman, who spoke during public comment on behalf of Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, shared the concerns Steinke brought up and asked if majors mentioning the Bible or faith are the ones being targeted by this legislation.
'If we look at what's our best return on investment in these dollars, I think you want students who graduate from a good institution, who can think, who can communicate … those who know how to interact with each other, have grounding in some of the classics and literature, have some philosophy, all of those things,' Felderman said. 'And ultimately, these are the folks we want in Iowa, because they're formed to be good people.'
Subcommittee member Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, asked Steinke how many students change their major while attending university, to which he said it can vary from year to year, but it generally averages around 50%.
Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chaired the subcommittee, joined by Konfrst and Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham. Shipley said he feels it is important for the state to exercise oversight of the Iowa Tuition Grant program and ensure it aids in completing state objectives.
Collins said discussion on the Iowa Tuition Grant program was a long time coming, as it was formed more than 50 years ago. He said the point of the Higher Education Committee is to review all areas of higher education in the state, including public universities, community and private colleges. He said he's also looking for colleges to provide data on how many students are using the Iowa Tuition Grant, and Konfrst said she'd like to know if these students are staying in Iowa after graduation.
The bill will be considered next by the full Higher Education Committee.
'The point of this is really to start this is really to start this conversation,' Collins said.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
a day ago
- UPI
Oklahoma ads 'America first' teacher test for some new applicants
The U.S. Department of Education Headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C. The Oklahoma superintendent of education has created a test for teachers from New York and California applying to teach in his state. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Oklahoma plans to screen teachers from New York and California applying to work in the state with a new test to determine their views on a range of topics regarding their political ideology. Teachers from the two Democratic-leaning states will be required to provide approved answers to 50 multiple-choice questions on topics such as the the U.S. government, gender, religion and gender to teach in the state. Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who announced the test requirement said New York and California have teaching standards that are "antithetical" to Oklahoma's. Teachers from New York or California who want jobs in Oklahoma will now have to take a special test to prove that they are not "woke indoctrinators." "We're not bringing in woke indoctrinators into the classroom," Walters told The Washington Post on Monday. "It's a very America-first approach." Walters told the education board that its members won't get to review the test for teacher candidates before it is implemented. Board member Chris Van Denhende asked Walters in July to ensure the policy "passes legal muster." "It sounds like we're on the edge," Van Denhende said. PragerU, a conservative non-profit, not a university, helped develop the multiple-choice test. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told USA Today the test is going to be a "huge turnoff" for teachers. "Ryan Walters appears to be trying out for MAGA-in-chief, not educator-in-chief, because everything that he's doing is about the culture wars, not about the reading, writing and arithmetic," Weingarten said. "If he wants to be MAGA-in-chief then go be MAGA in chief. But let someone else be educator-in-chief and focus on other things people deserve, which is reading, literacy, and wraparound services -- and actual teachers who want to be in Oklahoma." Teachers' unions say it could make the state's teacher shortage worse because it would discourage applicants. And, Oklahoma's public education system for K-12 students ranks last, according to a study by WalletHub. In October 2024, Walters put out a call to purchase 55,000 Bibles, but they had to be leather-bound and have the U.S. founding documents in them, like the Trump Bible. He forced high-school teachers to teach students that there were "discrepancies" in the 2020 election. He also supported the unsuccessful effort to create the country's first public religious charter school in Oklahoma, but it caused a deadlocked Supreme Court ruling in May. "You're not gonna lie to kids about the influences Christianity had on American history," he told the New York Post on Friday, adding, "We want you to teach history appropriately." He also told the Post that the test is meant to ensure no one teaches "radical woke gender theory that goes against biology and science."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Oklahoma rolls a out test for teacher applicants from California and New York
Oklahoma's far-right schools chief, Ryan Walters, has officially rolled out an Orwellian obstacle for teachers who come to his state from California and New York. Oklahoma is now requiring teacher applicants from those two blue states — and apparently no one else, for now — to prove they are worthy by passing what Walters has described as an 'America First' test in order to receive a teaching certificate. Conservative media company PragerU, which is not an actual university and whose founder has openly said he wants to 'indoctrinate' children, reportedly helped develop the multiple-choice test. Walters has said the policy is meant to root out 'woke indoctrinators' and suggested that teachers from New York and California may fail to adequately teach the role that Christianity played in the nation's development. 'You're not gonna lie to kids about the influences Christianity had on American history,' he told the New York Post on Friday, adding, 'We want you to teach history appropriately.' He also told the Post that the test is meant to ensure no one teaches 'radical woke gender theory that goes against biology and science.' Sample questions provided to the Post include 'Which chromosome pair indicates a woman?' and 'Why is freedom of religion important to America's identity?' Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told USA Today the test is going to be a 'huge turnoff' for teachers and railed against Walters' ploy: Ryan Walters appears to be trying out for MAGA in chief, not educator in chief, because everything that he's doing is about the culture wars, not about the reading, writing and arithmetic. If he wants to be MAGA in chief then go be MAGA in chief. But let someone else be educator in chief and focus on other things people deserve, which is reading, literacy and wraparound services — and actual teachers who want to be in Oklahoma. Walters has tried to usher in an era of far-right and religious indoctrination for Oklahoma's public schools by doing things like promoting Bible-infused learning plans and leaning on schools to air a video of him praying for Donald Trump and attacking liberals. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's public education system for K-12 students ranks last among all states, according to a study by WalletHub. The state is also experiencing a teacher shortage. Given this reality, one might expect the state's schools chief to prioritize bringing in as many qualified teachers as possible. But Walters has other ideas — deeply political ones that seem likely to deter some quality teachers from even attempting to work in Oklahoma. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Mayor Adams slams Mamdani for wanting to decriminalize prostitution: ‘Don't know where in his Quran it states that it's OK'
Mayor Eric Adams rebuked mayoral candidate Zohran's Mamdani in religious terms over the socialist candidate's longstanding push to decriminalize prostitution – saying the candidate was 'lost' on the grim reality of sex work. 'I can't be more clear. I'm a man of God, just as Mamdani says he's a Muslim. I don't know where in his Quran it states that it's ok for a woman to be on the streets selling their body,' Hizzoner told reporters Sunday. 3 Mayor Eric Adams speaks with reporters on Sunday. NY Post/Steven Vago Advertisement 'I don't know what Quran he is reading. It's not in my Bible.' He also said Mamdani's position ignores the victims of sex trafficking. 'You're not doing any service to a woman who is on the street who is forced to sell her body for whatever reason,' Adams told reporters Sunday. Advertisement 3 A woman suspected of being a prostitute on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. NY Post 3 Frontrunner candidate Zohran Mamdani has been quiet on the issue of prostitution during his mayoral campaign. Michael Nigro 'We are trying to bring down crime and he is talking about legalizing sex work. Number one: As a man who said he is of faith, I don't quite understand what religion supports prostitution. I think he's lost on the fact that sex trafficking is very much part of prostitution,' he added. Adams' comments came after The Post cast the spotlight on Mamdani's past push to change the statue that makes it a crime for people to sell their bodies for sex in New York. It's an issue he has taken up multiple times since he ran for state assembly in 2020 and has continually supported since. Advertisement But the 33-year-old Democratic candidate has been largely mum on the issue since he started his run for mayor, leaving critics worried that he might make a sudden push for legal prostitution if he makes it into office in the fall. And Adams – who is running for reelection as an independent — thinks it would be reprehensible to green-light the practice. 'If that is his belief, it is a danger for our city. Our city needs to be a safe city. It should not be a city where women are standing on corners, or boys are standing on corners, or young men standing on corners selling their bodies,' he said.
