The Iowa Department of Education is asking stakeholders how to maintain levels of support for students inside the state’s most in-need schools as the No Child Left Behind Act is phased out and replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act. The new law gives states more power to make public education decisions, including how to help students inside high-need schools.

The Every Student Succeeds Act no longer requires struggling schools to provide low income students with free tutoring or give parents the choice to transfer their child to a higher-performing school. Currently, school districts must also provide transportation to students who take advantage of the school choice option.

Title I dollars paid for those transportation and tutoring services under the No Child Left Behind Act. It’s unclear how funding will change under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

“There will be potentially, funding changes that come through the transition, but at this point we're looking more programmatically,” said Ryan Wise, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “How do we ensure all students, and those students most in need of additional supports, have those resources?"

Choosing to offer those services will now be up to local school administrators.

The Iowa Department of Education is meeting with school administrators, outside tutoring service providers, and other stakeholders to develop a transitional plan to address levels of support for students in the future.

The first public input meeting happened Tuesday in Cedar Rapids with about a dozen attendees.

The state’s transitional plan must be in place by May and a long term plan is due by the 2017-2018 school year.

“We’ve put in place some fundamental, transformative reforms around teacher leadership, early literacy, and I think Every Child Succeeds Act gives Iowa the opportunity to build on those to set clear, achievable, goals,” Wise said.

The Iowa Department of Education will host three more forums before finalizing a transitional plan:

March 30, Des Moines at the Callanan Middle School, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00

March 31, Bettendorf at the Mississippi Bend Education Agency, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00

April 7, Sioux City at the Northwest Area Education Agency, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00

You can send written feedback to essa@iowa.gov.