Governor Kim Reynolds.
Governor Kim Reynolds is signalling she’s likely to approve Republican legislators’ plan to provide a one percent increase in general per pupil support of Iowa’s public school. That’s a roughly $32 million boost — less than the $54 million increase Reynolds recommended last month.
The governor told reporters this decision won’t be one the last on school funding.
“I think we can make it work, but I think it’s part of a larger picture and I don’t think you can talk about it in isolation,” Reynolds said during her weekly news conference. “That’s the problem with funding. I mean, it’s not just one little piece. There’s a lot of additional funding that will be appropriated to school districts all across the state.”
Republicans in the legislature are debating how much to forward to schools to help cover transportation costs, particularly rural schools with bus routes that cover large geographical areas. There’s also discussion among Republican lawmakers about extending the statewide one-cent sales tax that is set to expire in 2029. That money is used to finance school infrastructure, but schools say they’ve already used most of those taxes as collateral for building projects underway.