Legislators say schools may overstate layoffs

A key legislator says some Iowa superintendents may be “overstating” the amount of layoffs they’ll be making to deal with tight budgets. House Republican Leader Chuck Gipp of Decorah says that’s the exception, not the rule, though.Gipp says the misunderstanding comes over why schools are getting less general state aid. Gipp says it’s because schools that’re seeking a decline in state support have fewer students. Gipp says in Des Moines, for example, enrollment has declined by 391 students, and since state aid is paid on a per pupil basis, it stands to reason state support of the Des Moines school district would decline. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, says announcements that’re being made about layoffs in Iowa schools in the coming school year may be a bit off. Rants says “if past practice is an indicator,” then some schools will be able to pare their staff through attrition. In regards to the state payroll, republicans hope to offer early retirement incentives to get more highly-paid, older workers off the payroll. Under the plan, workers would have to decide by May 1 and retire by June 2nd. Just over 19-hundred workers would be eligible as their age and the number of years they’ve worked in state government adds up to 75 or more. For example, a 55 year old who’s worked for the state for 20 years would be eligible for the early retirement offer.