Bill on community college aid distribution heads to governor’s desk

A bill to give community college leaders control of developing the state aid distribution formula has passed out of the Iowa House. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

A bill changing how the formula for distributing state aid to community colleges is developed will head to the governor’s desk after unanimous passage through the Iowa House.

Senate File 2405 would do away with the current aid distribution formula and have the community college presidents and CEOs develop the formula each year, with approval from at least 10 out of the 15 leaders required for it to be implemented.

According to the bill, the group would factor in enrollment and combined support for each community college when creating the formula, and no college could be funded below what they received from the state in previous years unless the base funding allocation has decreased. If the community college leaders do not agree on a formula by Oct. 31 each year, the Iowa Department of Education will take over its development.

The bill passed out of the Iowa Senate in mid-March with only one vote against it.

This legislation is a top priority for Community Colleges for Iowa and received unanimous support from community college leaders, Community Colleges for Iowa Executive Director Emily Shields said in a House subcommittee meeting, as the current formula doesn’t create equitable funding across each of the colleges.

As the distribution formula has been locked in Iowa code, it hasn’t changed in some time, Shields said, and having the community colleges develop a formula every year will allow them to fix funding differences and respond to changes in the colleges.

“What we’re looking to do is a more flexible and nimble system so that we can be responsive to enrollment and not end up in a situation with this big of a gap again,” Shields said in the meeting.

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