Lawmakers moved a bill out of an Iowa House subcommittee Wednesday that would have the state鈥檚 public higher education system explore a funding model based on workforce-based performance measures.

would have the Iowa Board of Regents study a potential performance-based funding model for the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa and submit a report to the General Assembly by its November 2026 meeting.

According to the bill, this funding model should factor in graduation rates, the number of awarded degrees corresponding to Iowa鈥檚 high-demand jobs, post-graduation employment rates and income and how many graduates stay in Iowa.

While the board of regents is registered as undecided on the legislation, board state relations officer Jillian Carlson said there are some concerns with what would need to be factored into the funding model. Post-graduation income is one she identified as potentially posing an issue, as the universities work to meet workforce needs in rural areas where income is often lower.

鈥淚 think we certainly understand your guys鈥� desire to look at these performance metrics, but we do have some concerns with the metrics in the bill, particularly where they would conflict with state needs,鈥� Carlson said.

As the Iowa House Higher Education Committee is 鈥渓ooking to create efficiencies,鈥� Carlson said the board鈥檚 budget, investment and finance committee is 鈥渃urrently working on an efficiency review of all of our revenue鈥� 鈥� an effort headed by Regent Kurt Tjaden.

Members of the subcommittee said they were surprised and disappointed to see little public comment during the meeting, with Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, saying he鈥檚 noticed a lack of participation in other subcommittees he鈥檚 sat on during this legislative session as well.

Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, was the only lawmaker on the subcommittee to not support the legislation, saying so after Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, didn鈥檛 answer her questions on what a performance-based funding model would look like from his perspective as the person who filed the bill.

鈥淚 think it probably goes without saying that I鈥檓 not going to be signing off on the bill today, mostly because of a lack of engagement in a conversation on what this bill actually entails and how it will practically work in the real world,鈥� Matson said.

She also took issue with the potential funding model鈥檚 criteria, some which she said are out of universities鈥� control. If a student decides to move away from Iowa because it is what is best for them and their family, she said a university could be penalized through the funding model even though they couldn鈥檛 do anything to change that outcome.

Collins said the bill would not enact a new system for universities to follow but 鈥渟eeks to align taxpayer investment with taxpayer return,鈥� and to gather additional information for the General Assembly to potentially act upon.

Iowa needs to evolve, Wills said, and the Legislature can鈥檛 just keep going with the status quo.

鈥淲e need to become more efficient,鈥� Wills said. 鈥淲e need to look and research other opportunities and other ways of doing business, because sometimes the status quo, the way we鈥檝e always done it, is not the best way.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

Missouri public schools showed continued improvement in annual performance reports released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Thursday, with 56% of districts and charter schools raising their scores.

The state is in its fourth year of the Missouri School Improvement Program 6, which education officials deem 鈥渕ore rigorous鈥� than the previous iteration of the program. In 2022, the system鈥檚 pilot year, 112 school districts and charters scored lower than 70% 鈥� the score required to be fully accredited by the education department.

Accreditation decisions based on the MSIP6 scores are a year away, but the number of districts at risk for a lower classification has decreased dramatically in four years.

Based on districts鈥� three-year composite scores, which the department will use to determine accreditation, 29 school districts are in range to be provisionally accredited. None scored below 50%, which would put them at risk for being unaccredited.

Three charter schools scored below 50% and 29 scored below 70%, but these scores will not be part of next year鈥檚 classification decisions. Despite MSIP6 being used to score charters, they have separate methods of accreditation.

鈥淚 am so proud of our educators and students,鈥� Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. 鈥淵ou must take some time to celebrate the good, but we also know there is room for improvement.鈥�

The scores include a variety of factors, like standardized test scores, student growth and career readiness. Student performance comprises 70% of the score. The other 30% is based on continuous improvement measures.

Of the 553 districts and charter schools in the state, 152 raised their score by at least 5% this year. Some showed dramatic improvement.

Neosho School District boosted its score from 61.5% in 2024 to 85.5% this year. Superintendent Jim Davis, who took the role in August 2024, told The Independent that the improvement is largely because of a district-wide focus on proficiency and literacy.

鈥淭here was a lot of work that was put into it to get us to take that jump,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut we鈥檙e proud of that, and we鈥檙e expecting to continue moving up with the systems that we built here.鈥�

Classroom instruction in Neosho is expected to meet grade-level standards, he said, which pushes struggling students to catch up.

鈥淪tudents expedite their academic growth when they are given grade-level content,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淪o the more time that we spend in grade-level content, the faster they鈥檙e going to move.鈥�

The district is one of 32 districts and charter schools in , a grant program which provides literacy resources and professional development among other assets.

The district received top scores for student growth in reading, math and science and received 50% of the points possible for social studies growth among the full student population. It got a quarter of the points possible for social studies growth in student groups , such as low-income students and English-language learners.

鈥淲e want to create success,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏ut also we have got to continue developing our team so that, moving forward, all students can be successful.鈥�

The Southern Boone School District in Ashland also showed dramatic improvement, going from 78.9% in 2024 to 95.9% this year. It is one of 22 school districts with a score of at least 90%.

鈥淵ou can contribute our growth to continued work with our teams of teachers and administrators on our curriculum development and making sure that we鈥檝e got the right resources for kids and teachers to use, along with making sure that our teachers are well-prepared,鈥� Superintendent Tim Roth told The Independent.

The district has invested in new textbooks and software to bolster curriculum. At the middle school level, the district has instituted an assessment system that gives continuous checks on student achievement. Teachers review the results regularly and brainstorm ways to improve in small-group settings, Roth said.

The district received 100% for student growth on standardized tests across subject areas. It also earned top scores in attendance.

鈥淪omething that stands out for us is just the value that our parents and community put on education,鈥� Roth said. 鈥淲ith our students being here on a regular basis, we鈥檙e very happy that we have that support and that learning is a priority.鈥�

Eslinger told reporters that attendance and literacy are a focus for the department.

鈥淲e are on the right track,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur data points are showing improvement, but we still have work to do.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.