A bill moving through the state legislature would provide some budget stability to public school districts in areas hit by last year’s devastating tornadoes and historic flooding. General state spending is distributed on a per pupil basis.

If the bill becomes law, a district with declining erollment before a disaster and even more student exits afterwards would get the same level of per pupil funding for the next academic year. Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for Rural School Advocates of Iowa, said the proposal makes good sense.

“One of the reasons why this is important is when you have a natural disaster you can have a temporary decline in enrollment that comes back once housing is restored and jobs open back up again,” Buckton said during a House Subcommittee hearing on the bill, “so this would allow that budget guarantee of the higher amount to continue to the next year and hopefully those families come back.”

Michelle Johnson, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards, said during the hearing:  “We think it’s pretty simple and it’s good for districts that have experienced a natural disaster.”

During an interview with Radio Iowa, Senator Lynn Evans, a retired superintendent from Aurelia, said Iowa law allows school districts in these kind of predicaments petition the School Budget Review Committee, but the bill clarifies the process.

“Moving forward, knowing that Iowa’s had tornadoes and flooding for as long as we’ve been around, that’s not going to change, we can make the process a little easier,” Evans said.

The proposal cleared a House subcommittee this week.

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