Governor Tom Vilsack has signed into law that bill that provides about 100 million more in general state aid to Iowa’s K-through-12 schools for the school year that begins in the fall of 2006.Legislators from both political parties stood behind Vilsack on the statehouse steps as he signed the bill in an outdoor ceremony. Vilsack called the spending plan a “bipartisan commitment to our children and to quality education in our state.” Vilsack says he hopes it’s a first step of many that he and lawmakers will take this year to reaffirm their commitment to children and their potential. Vilsack thanked legislators from both parties for their willingness to advance the school funding issue as a first item on the legislature’s 2005 agenda. “It sent a strong message about the importance and the power of bipartisanship,” Vilsack says. “And I hope that’s a message that resonates throughout the rest of this legislative session.”