299A.12 Home school assistance program.

1. The board of directors of a school district shall expend moneys received pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), and amounts designated from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, for purposes of providing a home school assistance program.

2. Purposes for which a school district may expend funds received pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), or amounts designated from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, shall include but not be limited to the following:

a. Instruction for students and assisting parents with instruction.

b. Support services for students and teaching parents and staff support services.

c. Salary and benefits for the supervising teacher of the home school assistance program students. If the teacher is a part-time home school assistance program teacher and a part-time regular classroom teacher, funds received pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), or amounts designated from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, may be used only for the portion of time in which the teacher is a home school assistance program teacher.

d. Salary and benefits for clerical and office staff of the home school assistance program. If the staff members are shared with other programs or functions within the district, funds received pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), or amounts designated from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, shall only be expended for the portion of time spent providing the home school assistance program services.

e. Staff development for the home school assistance program teacher.

f. Travel for the home school assistance program teacher.

g. Resources, materials, computer software and hardware, supplies, and purchased services that meet the following criteria:

(1) Are necessary to provide the services of home school assistance.

(2) Are retained as the possessions of the school district for its prekindergarten through grade twelve home school assistance program.

3. Purposes for which a school district shall not expend funds received pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), or amounts designated from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, include but are not limited to the following:

a. Indirect costs or use charges.

b. Operational or maintenance costs other than those necessary to operate and maintain the program.

c. Capital expenditures other than equipment or facility acquisition, including the lease or rental of space to supplement existing schoolhouse facilities.

d. Student transportation except in cases of home school assistance program-approved field trips or other educational activities.

e. Administrative costs other than the costs necessary to administer the program.

f. Concurrent and dual enrollment costs and postsecondary enrollment options program costs.

g. Any other expenditures not directly related to providing the home school assistance program. A home school assistance program shall not provide moneys to parents or students utilizing the program.

4. The purposes for and limitations on the expenditure of funds under subsections 2 and 3 shall not be construed to prohibit a school corporation from authorizing the use of items and materials purchased for the home school assistance program for school district purposes other than the home school assistance program so long as the authorized use does not prevent or interfere with the item or material’s use by parents or students utilizing the program.

5. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, and if the statutory requirements for use of home school assistance program funding have been met, including funding all purposes listed in subsection 2 and funding all requests for services and materials from parents or guardians of students eligible to access the program, all or a portion of the moneys received by a school district pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), that remain unexpended and unobligated at the end of a budget year beginning on or after July 1, 2017, may be transferred for deposit in the school district’s flexibility account established under section 298A.2, subsection 2.

2010 Acts, ch 1183, §40; 2011 Acts, ch 132, §23 – 26, 106; 2017 Acts, ch 154, §7 – 11; 2018 Acts, ch 1112, §15 – 17

Referred to in §257.6, 298A.2

2018 amendment enacting subsection 4 applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2018; 2018 Acts, ch 1112, §17

NEW subsection 4 and former subsection 4 renumbered as 5