Levies that are part of the school foundation formula are revenues to the General Fund. The school board may annually certify a levy for cash flow in the General Fund, called a cash reserve levy, within limits set by the School Budget Review Committee. Money from all sources is accounted for in the General Fund except money required by law to be accounted for in another fund. Expenditures include the cost of providing an educational program to school-age children and day-to-day operations.

For specific revenue sources and appropriate and inappropriate uses of the general fund and categorical funding within the general fund, refer to Iowa Administrative Code chapter 281--98 and the Iowa Uniform Administrative Procedures Manual, chapter 9.

Instructional Support Program

A school district may establish an Instructional Support Program to provide additional funding in the General Fund. The Program may be established by a board resolution up to five years or approved by the voters up to 10 years. The Program may be funded by all property tax or a combination of property tax and income surtax. The total Program may not exceed 10% of the district's regular program district cost. The revenues from the Instructional Support Program may be expended for any purpose allowed from the General Fund, but may not be used to supplant funding authorized to be received for returning dropout and dropout prevention programs, gifted and talented programs, PPEL levy, Management levy, or special education deficits. Iowa Code section 257.18.

Instructional Support Program FAQs

Educational Improvement Program

The voters in a school district may authorize an Educational Improvement Program to provide additional funding in the General Fund if the regular program district cost per pupil for a budget year is 110% of the regular program state cost per pupil for the budget year or the district had adopted an enrichment levy of 15% prior to July 1, 1992. In order to implement the Educational Improvement Program, the district must have also approved the Instructional Support Program. The Educational Improvement Program may be funded by all property tax or a combination of property tax and income surtax. The Program may not exceed the percent of the district's regular program district cost that was approved by the voters. Once voted, the Program continues to be authorized in the district until the voters rescind. The Educational Improvement Program may be expended for any purpose allowed from the General Fund. Iowa Code section 257.29.