Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Unified Allocation Plan proposes to:
- Align ESEA programs and resources to Iowa’s state and local education priorities,
- Bolster school improvement efforts informed by accountability and assessment, and
- Support school districts’ focus on best serving students most in need of support.
The five articulated requests are based on continuous comment and input received by the Department from the public, public school districts, public charter schools, nonpublic schools, and area education agencies as education leaders implement and ensure compliance with the numerous programmatic and fiscal requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA).
To better support students, families, educators, schools, and communities, the Department seeks to implement its unified allocation plan through a combination of waivers, modernized administrative interpretations, and administration flexibilities:
- Allow state administrative and state activities set-aside funds to be consolidated based on existing statutory formulas;
- Allow school district formula and competitive funds to be consolidated based on existing statutory formulas utilizing expanded transferability flexibilities;
- Allow the Department to calculate and retain the equitable participation proportionate share in all relevant ESEA programs for school districts and nonpublic schools that opt in through meaningful consultation to provide equitable services to nonpublic school students and teachers through a third-party provider(s);
- Explore opportunities to best support school districts in prioritizing schools most in need of support through revised USED administrative interpretation;
- Modernize supplement, not supplant implementation across multiple ESEA programs through revised USED administrative interpretations.
Recognizing Iowa’s strong focus on accountability for student outcomes, the Department’s plan continues to rely upon its 2024 USED-approved ESSA State Plan and statewide school performance accountability system. The Iowa School Performance Profiles utilize all student achievement data and the disaggregated achievement data of student groups from annual assessments to inform school designations and comprehensive support and improvement investments.
The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the civil rights protections in ESEA, including requirements for school districts to provide specific services and supports to student groups, including students who are English learners, migratory, considered neglected and delinquent, and experiencing homelessness. Under this proposal, school districts’ consolidated application to the Department would articulate their ESEA services and supports plans to meet the needs of all students, including the submission of each school districts’:
- Lau Plan to support students who are English Learners;
- Migratory liaison,
- Foster care/neglected and delinquent liaison;
- Partnerships with State-run institutions and residential facilities that support education continuity and successful transitions;
- Homeless liaison; and
- Partnerships with community-based organizations, especially in the provision of out-of-school programming.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide this preliminary update based on the Department’s proposal, which may be revised based on USED’s review and feedback. The Department will continue to provide additional opportunities for the public and education stakeholders to provide comment throughout the review and revision process. Informed by Iowa’s educators and families, the Department looks forward to continuing to partner with the U.S. Department of Education to meet the needs of all learners and to realize the purpose of these ESEA programs.
