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Bill

HF 369

A bill for an act establishing an agriculture education grant program within the department of education and making appropriations.

2025-2026 Regular Session

HF 369 creates an Agriculture Education Grant Program to fund an extra 60 days of ag-ed teaching by covering salaries: 100% if the program is under 10 years, 50% otherwise.

Subcommittee recommends passage.
#agriculture #education #grants
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Bill Summary · HF 369

Summary of HF 369 (2025)

Purpose and intent

HF 369 would establish an Agriculture Education Grant Program within the Department of Education (DE) and make appropriations to support school districts in expanding agriculture education instruction. The bill aims to encourage districts to hire teachers to provide additional agriculture education beyond regular duties by offsetting part or all of the associated personal services costs through grants.

Key provisions

  • Grants to offset personal services costs

    • School districts may apply to DE for grants to cover the personal services costs of employing teachers to provide instruction in an agriculture education program.
    • The instruction covered is limited to an extra 60 days of instruction outside the teacher’s regularly scheduled duties.

  • Grant amounts

    • If the district’s agriculture education program has existed for less than 10 consecutive years, the grant would cover 100% of the teacher’s personal services costs.
    • For all other programs, the grant would cover 50% of the teacher’s personal services costs.

  • Funding source

    • The program would be funded through an Agriculture Education Grant Program Fund established in the state treasury.

  • Supplement, not supplant

    • Districts must use grant funds to supplement existing public funding for similar purposes; funds may not be used to supplant existing allocations.

  • Tracking and accountability

    • DE must develop and provide a statewide system to track the time teachers devote to instruction delivered under the grants.

  • Administration

    • The State Board of Education would adopt rules to administer the program.

Who is affected

  • School districts that offer or plan to implement agriculture education programs and hire teachers to provide extra instruction.
  • Teachers involved in agriculture education who would deliver the additional instructed time funded by the grant.
  • The Department of Education, which would administer the grants, oversee the tracking system, and implement rules.
  • The State Board of Education, which would adopt administrating rules for the program.

Procedural and timeline details

  • Introduced: February 13, 2025
  • Referred to: Appropriations
  • Subcommittee actions:
    • March 24, 2025: Subcommittee members Harris, Bagniewski, and Latham; Subcommittee meeting scheduled for March 26, 2025, at 12:00 PM (Room 304.1).
    • March 26, 2025: Subcommittee recommends passage.
  • Status: Subcommittee recommends passage as of the latest action.

Additional notes

  • The bill focuses on leveraging grant funds to expand agriculture education capacity by adding instructional time via additional teaching staff.
  • The program’s structure creates a two-tier grant rate (100% vs 50%) based on the age of the program, incentivizing newer programs while supporting established ones at a lower marginal rate.
  • The tracking system obligation is intended to provide transparency around how grant-supported instruction is dedicated and used.

This summary captures the bill’s substantive changes, funding mechanics, administrative responsibilities, and the current legislative status.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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