Iowa Senate News Release: January 17, 2013 Doing right by Iowa schoolchildren requires a 4 percent increase in basic aid School aid boost is first step toward expanding Iowa’s middle class Plan increases school funding WITHOUT increasing property taxes Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-LwhcPjpik Fact sheet on the history of Iowa school funding DES MOINES – Senate Democratic leaders [...]
When it comes to education, three key issues are still being worked out. The first is education reform. This session, we’re building on Iowa’s tradition of excellent local schools by working to raise academic standards, increase the effectiveness of educators, and provide for innovations that enhance learning. Senate File 2284 was developed with the help of parents, teachers and students, as well as state and national experts.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal hosted the weekly statehouse leadership press conference on February 9, 2012
Cost of Living Adjustment For Schools IowaPolitics.com “That’s sort of the cost-of-living adjustment for schools. That’s the inflation adjustment,” said Mary Jane Cobb, executive director of the Iowa State Education Association, which represents more than 34,000 educators. “ … “We’ve been living under zero percent allowable growth this year, 2 percent next year. Four percent [...]
“Iowans have to be asking themselves, ‘Why in the world is Governor Branstad making funding of Iowa’s community schools less predictable, less sustainable, and less stable, when his message was exactly the opposite just a year ago?’ Senate Education Committee chair Herman Quirmbach of Ames
Iowans know we can’t keep doing the same things in our schools and expect better results. Unfortunately, we just finished a difficult legislative session, which was forced into overtime by demands for deep cuts to education at all levels.
What we need now is a road map to real results, not more empty rhetoric to distract us. That’s why we’re closely following this month’s Iowa Education Summit.
The following statement was issued by State Senator Brian Schoenjahn, Chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
Educating our students and helping workers gain top-notch skills is one of the best investments we can make in Iowa’s future. That’s why Iowans reacted strongly against the deep cuts to education demanded at the start of the session. Thanks to their efforts, we’ve made some progress. To address remaining differences in education funding, the Senate has offered compromises that split the difference.
The opening statement by Senator Brian Schoenjahn, chair of the Senate Education Budget Committee, on SF 539 is below the fold.
“One. Billion. Dollars. One BILLION dollars. There’s the number Iowans must to keep in mind during this budget debate. One billion dollars. That’s how much Iowa will have in the bank when we start the next fiscal year on July 1. Just 6.5% of one billion dollars would pay for a 2% increase in state aid to local schools and fully fund preschool for four-year-olds. In other words, we could fund our local schools and still have 935 million dollars in the bank.”
