Iowa Representative David Young believes that a proposal about Area Education Agencies (AEA’s) that Governor Kim Reynolds presented for legislators needs more time.

There’s been much conversation surrounding AEA’s role in Iowa schools, and Representative Young discusses that taking in more perspectives is an important factor. In the 2024 Condition of the State Address, Governor Reynolds proposed to stop funding AEA’s directly in order to allow public school districts to be in charge of where they contract their special education services. Representative Young says he disapproves of the proposal because not much time has been spent on the consequences of it. He wants to hear thoughts from others in the community.

“We need to make sure that we bring the stakeholders in, and that’s not just AEA employees. That’s an important perspective, but also the perspective of teachers in our schools, superintendents, but more importantly parents of those children who have disabilities, who have been served by AEA’s.”

Young states that the Subcommittee in the House didn’t pass the governor’s proposal, which Young is content with. He does note that the Subcommittee in the Senate did, but as of this moment, the proposal is not advancing any further.