The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Bill Requires Five Consecutive Years of Teaching Experience and Teacher License Maintenance for School Administrators
Last action · February 3, 2026: Subcommittee: Sinclair, Kraayenbrink, and Zimmer. S.J. 190 .Sponsor: Molly Donahue
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Iowa Senate File 2133 requires applicants for an to have completed at least five consecutive years of teaching in the state at no more than two school districts, and requires all license-holding administrators to maintain their underlying teacher licenses.
Changes qualification standards and ongoing license requirements for school administrators across the state by establishing mandatory prior teaching duration, district-mobility limits, and license retention rules.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
initial administrator license applicants
Applicants must meet new prior teaching duration and district-mobility limits to qualify for initial licensure.
school administrators
Holders of initial or professional administrator licenses must maintain an active teacher license to keep their administrator credentials.
Key Facts
- Applicants for an initial administrator license must have been a teacher in Iowa for at least five consecutive years prior to the date of application.
- Applicants must have taught at no more than two school districts in Iowa during that five-year period.
- Administrators with an initial or professional administrator license must maintain their individual teacher license as a condition of keeping their administrator license.
- The requirements apply to applications for an initial administrator license submitted on or after the effective date of the Act.
Show all 5 facts
- The maintenance requirements apply to initial and professional administrator licenses granted on or after the effective date of the Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
What teaching experience is required to get an initial administrator license under this bill?
Do administrators need to keep their teacher licenses active?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 3, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Sinclair, Kraayenbrink, and Zimmer. S.J. 190 .
- Jan 28, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 156 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Stricter Educator Mobility Limits for Administrators
The bill restricts initial administrator license eligibility by capping the number of school districts an applicant could have taught in during their required five-year teaching tenure to a maximum of two.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools