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Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Iowa 'center for intellectual freedom,' college tuition bills pass House
Legislation establishing a new University of Iowa "center for intellectual freedom" and targeting college affordability were among the bills Iowa House lawmakers passed Tuesday reshaping the state's higher education system. Championed by former Gov. Terry Branstad, the UI "center for intellectual freedom" would research and teach students about historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped America's constitutional order and society. The measure, House File 437, passed the House in a 60-36 vote. It has a Senate companion, Senate File 519. An analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the center would cost at least $1.5 million, covering the salaries and benefits of a dean and at least five tenure-track faculty members. The proposed center would be an independent academic unit within the UI's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The bill targets the UI, since the University of Northern Iowa already has a Center for Civic Education, and Iowa State University offers civic education initiatives. The center would be expected to work with the other public universities on academic programming they could offer to students at any institution online or in person. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, said it was 'an incredible step forward in enhancing civic education across our three regent universities and increasing the level of intellectual diversity at the University of Iowa.' Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, said it was an 'unfunded mandate' to the UI and proposed a failed amendment that would have stipulated that funding come from private donations, not student tuition and fees. Collins said it was 'interesting' that there were no concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion executives' salaries but lawmakers now take issue with funding civic education. 'It seems like diversity of thought, diversity of perspective doesn't seem to matter,' Collins said. 'That's a problem.' Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, said it was ironic that lawmakers were seeking more intellectual diversity, yet minutes earlier had passed various DEI restrictions geared mostly toward higher education. "To me, it seems that if there was such a thing as a center of intellectual freedom that it could be open to introducing concepts, ideas and political theory from across the political spectrum, and those ideas would be held, debated and defended, including concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion," Wichtendahl said. The final higher education measure House lawmakers passed in a 64-33 vote was House File 440, which states that annual tuition increases for resident undergraduates will not exceed a three-year rolling average of the Higher Education Price Index, which is an inflation index designed to track the main cost drivers in higher education. It originally capped tuition increases at Iowa's public universities at 3%, but Collins said that was changed because the regents agreed to adopt the policy tying tuition hikes to the Higher Education Price Index. The regents would have to set tuition rates by April 30 of the previous fiscal year, which Collins said ensures students know the price they would pay to attend the institution in the fall. The governing board also would have to conduct a study on establishing a 'tuition guarantee' for students, including the cost, how much such a policy may boost enrollment and the results other states have seen from implementing some sort of tuition cap. Under this guarantee, a college student could not be charged a higher tuition rate than where the rate was set their freshman year. Additionally, the regents would have to begin efforts to offer at least one three-year bachelor's program and offer at least one work-study program where employers pay for a student's tuition and fees in exchange for part-time work. The bill and the regents' policy are ' a major victory in controlling costs, providing certainty for our students and getting students into the workforce even faster, all while saving them more of their hard-earned money," Collins said. Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said the cost burden of attending college has shifted to students as state funding has dwindled and tuition now makes up about two-thirds of the universities' funding. He said he hoped the new Higher Education Committee would take more steps to promote affordability. 'Our universities should serve the students of Iowa and ensure that they have the opportunity to reach their dreams," Zabner said. Several bills Collins had pushed are being implemented by the Board of Regents without passing into law. The regents have agreed to conduct a review of all academic programs at each regent university to determine how they align with the state's workforce needs. They also agreed to adopt additional transparency measures for course syllabi and university finances, which both advanced out of the House Higher Education Committee. Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: House passes UI 'intellectual freedom' center, college tuition bills
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa schools could start before Iowa State Fair has ended under new bill
DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill that would allow Iowa schools to start before the Iowa State Fair has ended was advanced through committee on Tuesday. The Iowa Senate Education Committee advanced SF 205, which allows both public and private schools in the state to start earlier. The bill states school calendars can begin as early as the second to last Monday of August and no later than the first Monday of December. That means there would be years where school starts before the Iowa State Fair has ended. In 2015 then Governor Terry Branstad signed a bill into law that prohibited schools from starting before the state fair had ended, no sooner than August 23. Fong's Pizza moving out of downtown Des Moines after 16 years Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown said the association is for the bill as it allows school districts to decide the best start date for them. 'As proponents of local control, the Iowa State Education Association believes Iowa school districts should have the flexibility to align with their local community's needs. Our local school districts can thoughtfully evaluate these factors and choose a start date that best supports their students' success and the community's overall needs,' Brown said. Multiple other school associations, as well as the Professional Educators of Iowa are for the bill. Adventureland, the Iowa Travel Industry Partners, and Okoboji Tourism are all against the bill, while the Iowa State Fair remains undecided. The bill was unanimously passed through the Education Committee. It's now eligible for debate on the Senate floor. Iowa News: Iowa schools could start before Iowa State Fair has ended under new bill WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, February 5th Icy conditions are making it slippery in Iowa Newton student made threats to bring gun to school, police say Extra snow machines prove a success at Seven Oaks as they stayed open during warm week Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to establish UI school of ‘intellectual freedom' moves to committee
The Old Capitol building on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. (Photo courtesy of University of Iowa) Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad spoke Tuesday at a subcommittee meeting in support of legislation that would launch a 'school of intellectual freedom' at the University of Iowa, countering critics who cited wastefulness and ideological drive. House Study Bill 52 would place the school in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and have it staffed by five faculty members. Instruction would consist of 'the historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society,' according to the legislation, and the school would offer programming on free speech and civil discourse while fostering intellectual diversity and civic engagement. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chaired the subcommittee alongside Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, and Rep. Heather Hora, R-Washington. Branstad, a UI alum, joined the subcommittee meeting to speak in support of the bill. He said a school like the one proposed in the legislation is 'truly needed.' 'The reason for the bill is the future of our country is dependent on citizens that are well informed and cherish and celebrate the American heritage, and that's something that I think is really important for our country, especially in this day and age when we see a lot of concern and a lot of lack of … respect for other viewpoints,' Branstad said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Iowa Board of Regents and UI representative Keith Saunders said in the meeting the university is already working to establish a center for civic dialogue and leadership, and has submitted plans to the board of regents to be discussed at its February meeting. It will be similar to the center already approved at the University of Northern Iowa and one in development at Iowa State University, as they were brought forward at the direction of the board of regents. Andy Conlin, speaking in the meeting for the Cicero Institute and the Foundation for Government Accountability, said he was happy to hear the UI would be moving in the direction of its sister universities and codifying this bill's legislation would ensure the new center would remain in perpetuity. Florida, Ohio, Texas and Tennessee have also passed bills like this one for its universities, he said, with positive results. UI alum Emma Denney called the bill 'pointless' during public comment, saying she doesn't get how someone could look at the UI's academic programming in its departments of history and American studies and think the university isn't teaching what this school would be required to offer. Denney and another speaker said they believe the legislation is an ideological project motivated by the Legislature's disagreement with diversity, equity and inclusion on campus. 'I find this a laughable and ridiculous waste of money, time and resources, and I, frankly, find it ideologically motivated and pathetic,' Denney said. Branstad responded to Denney's comments by saying her view is 'your way or the highway,' adding his belief that most of the political science teachers at the UI where he studied were socialists but that 'all viewpoints should be represented.' Jacoby started out his comments on the legislation by asking who was chair of the committee, Collins or Branstad, and said he was just practicing his civil discourse by seeking clarification. He questioned the use of the term 'intellectual freedom,' which he interpreted to mean that hate speech is free speech, and said this legislation feels more like one meant for the national stage and not for Iowa. Drawing from the Manhattan Institute presentation given to the higher education committee previously, Jacoby said the survey policy analyst Neetu Arnold conducted to learn about the issues plaguing Iowa higher education included only 50 people, or less than 1% of the state population. Jacoby said it concerns him to think the Legislature would craft bills based off the wants of such a small group. He also took umbrage with the fact that the legislation only names the UI, rather than all of the state universities, and said he has drafted amendments to add them as well as private universities who take students in the Iowa Tuition Grant program to the bill. 'I like intellectual freedom. I like freedom if it's intellectual. The definition of intellectual, which is helpful at times … is the use of intellect, developed by facts and cause, not emotion,' Jacoby said. 'This seems to be a little bit of an emotional bill in my … civil discourse opinion.' The bill passed out of subcommittee with support from Collins and Hora, who was in caucus at the time. It will head to the Iowa House Higher Education Committee for further consideration. 'I think this was a good exercise in civic dialogue,' Collins said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa House bill would remove certain homeschooling restrictions
Iowa lawmakers proposed removing various regulations from home schools and putting new restrictions on foreign language classes. (Photo by) Members of a subcommittee advanced an education bill Monday that supporters said would help parents homeschooling children, but that others said would remove important government oversight of children outside of traditional K-12 school settings. The legislation, House File 88, includes multiple components related to home schools: It removes of requirements in state code that require families homeschooling their children provide proof of immunization and blood lead tests. Homeschooling families would no longer have to submit an 'outline of course of study' for their children. It eliminates current limits in law that only four children who are not related to the homeschooling instructor receive private instruction. It doubles the current tuition and textbook credit from 25% to 50% for the first $2,000 spent. Education advocates said the language removing certain legal requirements could put children at risk. Melissa Peterson with the Iowa State Education Association said the current limit on unrelated children receiving unregulated homeschool instruction was put in place through compromises made under former Gov. Terry Branstad's administration as a way to provide families less monitoring and state oversight while ensuring that there were still sufficient safety and educational professional standards being taken into account. 'One of the reasons why in a compromise achieved in 2013 … is because there was going to be a limitation on how many students you could (teach), and because those students needed to be related, so that we would not have the same concerns about needing a background check, about making sure that students were not exploited or taking advantage of,' Peterson said. Chaney Yeast with Blank Childrens Hospital said tests on children's exposure to lead is critical to ensuring they are safe and able to develop in a healthy environment. 'When we think about Iowa's aging housing stock, and we know that there's lead in our homes in our rural homes in Iowa and in our urban areas of Iowa, we know for children … that can impact their long-term ability to learn and be healthy,' Yeast said. Lauren Gideon, a parent who homeschools her seven children and works for Classical Conversations, a homeschool instruction company, said the bill retains parents' right to have the 'primary responsibility' for their children, which includes oversight of their health decisions and allowing them to receive instruction from another parent choosing to pursue private instruction. 'Parents have that jurisdiction, and we have things like due process and innocence until proven guilty to protect them and they belong on that jurisdiction until evidence is provided that they no longer have the ability to exercise their duty as parents,' Gideon said. The measure also includes a provision discussed as a bill in 2024 that would prohibit the inclusion of gender-neutral language in grades 9-12 world language classes for languages that use a grammatical gender system, like Spanish. Keenan Crow with One Iowa said there is not currently a problem at Iowa schools' language classes teaching new, gender-neutral words in languages with grammatical gender systems. 'It's kind of baffling in its current draft format, because it seems to imply that teachers are … being required to make up words — like new words that don't exist and aren't in current usage already,' Crow said. 'I think that's obviously incorrect.' But Rep. Bill Gustoff, R-Des Moines, who helped author the legislation, said he has received reports from public school world language teachers that said their colleagues have discussed allowing for gender-neutral options for gendered words. The legislation advanced out of subcommittee with Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, voting against it. The measure will next be available for consideration by the House Education Committee.
