Each year the Iowa Legislature adheres to a deadline of approving the funding for K-12 public schools within the first 30 days of the session. As this year’s deadline approaches, both chambers have passed their initial proposal for the increase in state supplemental aid.

State Representative Chris Hagenow, (R) District 19, says the House’s proposition is fairly in line with what Governor Kim Reynolds suggested at the start of the session. In their bill, the House voted to provide $108 million in new money for public education. That includes a base amount of $94.7 million, $7.25 million in transportation equity funding, and $5.8 million in per pupil equity. Hagenow says their primary focus in identifying how much to give schools each year is balancing what the districts request and how much the state has available. “The one thing that Republicans have always been committed to is that when we make a promise on education funding is that we’ll be able to actually deliver on it. In the past, there have been too high of a promise to schools and then not being able to fund it, and we’re definitely not going to do that. So we think it’s a reasonable amount, and I anticipate that we’ll find some resolution with the Senate on it very soon.”

The Senate has proposed around $92 million in additional funding, around $16 million less than the House. Hagenow says the final figure will likely fall somewhere in between the two numbers, though he emphasizes it’s not like negotiating a price on a used car. To learn more about this and other topics regarding the current legislative session, click the link below to listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Hagenow.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2020/02/17/lets-talk-dallas-county-2-17-2020-chris-hagenow/