Education spending bill passes legislature

The cornerstone of Governor Vilsack’s 1998 campaign will soon become law. A bill which sends 140-million dollars to Iowa schools over the next fouryears cleared its final legislative hurdle yesterday. The money is to beused to hire new teachers for early elementary grades so class sizes will bereduced or the money may be used to boost reading programs in first, secondand third grade classrooms. Class size reduction was one of the keypromises the new democrat governor made on the campaign trail. A couple ofrepublican Senators criticized the bill, however. Senator Jack Rife saidthe practice of committing state money to programs which stretch far downthe road will land the state in deficit spending again.