The Iowa House has narrowly passed a package to hike teacher pay, increase general state support for schools and keep Area Education Agencies as the main provider of experts who assist schools with special education needs for students.
House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford told reporters it provides certainty for students with disabilities and their parents and, in total, amounts to a 5% increase in state support of schools. “We wanted to make sure that as we went home this weekend that our schools and Iowans had an idea where House Republicans stand and where our final position is going to be on these three topics,” Grassley said.
During debate earlier this evening, House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley said it sends “a clear and concise message” to the Senate. “We expect for this to grt done because it is a priority,” Windshitl said. “…We need to get this done for our schools and for our kids.”
Under the plan, AEAs would continue to get 90% of state funding for special education services. School districts would be able to spend the remaining 10% on district employees, private contractor or continue to use AEA staff. The plan passed with the support of 51 of the 60 Republicans present in the House tonight and is similar to three bills that passed the House in February.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, said adjustments in the package appear to be concessions to Governor Kim Reynolds. who called for a major overhaul of AEAs in January.
“Don’t have kids, families, educators be shrapnel in this game,” Konfrst said.
Democrats argued the package falls far short of the state financial support schools need. Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City who’s a retired teacher, said the plan weakens the AEA system because it reduces funding for other AEA services, like teacher training and bulk purchasing of school supplies. “Such nonsense,” Steckman said. “Why are we doing this to our kids and the AEAs? Because the governor wants it.”
Representative Chad Ingels, a Republican from Randalia who voted for the bill, said as the father of two children with Down Syndrome, he fought to get more pay for paraeducators in the package. “While AEA personnel are extremely valuable, paraeducators are there every day beside my kids,” Ingels said, “and they’re underpaid.”
Republican Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull, the bill’s floor manager, has a daughter who’s been diagnosed with autism and he also emphasized the importance of paraeducators and keeping AEAs directly involved in special education services. “Chad, I believe the Lord has placed us in this position for a reason and we have a significant interest in advocating for students with disabilities,” Wheeler said, “and we have done just that.”
A few weeks ago, the House took separate votes on general state aid for schools and on teacher pay. The package that cleared the House tonight includes the governor’s call for raise salaries for beginning teachers to $50,000, plus money to raise the pay of veteran teachers and hourly staff.
In a written statement, Governor Reynolds said the House plan “paves a path forward to further strengthen Iowa’s education system in meaningful ways.” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said Senate Republicans will discuss the House package next week and he looks forward to a resolution on education funding, raising starting teacher pay and AEA reform.