School aid level

Republican legislators have decided to extend 59-MILLION more dollars ingeneral state aid to Iowa schools for the 2002/2003 academic year. As partof the proposal, local school districts MAY raise property taxes by up to12-MILLION. That’s what democrat Governor Tom Vilsack proposed, andrepublicans have decided to go along. House Education Committee chair BettyGrundberg of Des Moines says it’s about priorities. But the G-O-P will notrule out making cuts in other areas of education, like reducing the state’steacher pay initiative by 75-percent and cutting the amount of money forcomputers in schools. House Republican Leader Christopher Rants of SiouxCity says there’s really no other choice. Senate Democrat Leader MichaelGronstal of Council Bluffs says the republican decision is no victory forschools. Gronstal says republicans are playing a “cruel shell game” on Iowastudents. Cutting up to 50 MILLION in other K-through-12 educationinitiatives will gut schools, according to Gronstal.