House Republicans are calling for more support of Iowa K-12 students than Governor Reynolds and Senate Republicans have proposed.
During a House Appropriations Committee meeting late this afternoon, Representative Dan Gelbach of Urbandale said the House GOP plan would amount to an extra $180 in state spending per student for the next school year. “We believe that 2.25% is a responsible, sustainable number and a promise we can make to our school districts,” Gelbach said.
The increase also applies to state-funded Education Savings Accounts for private school students, so each student would get $8168 in state support under the House Republican’s plan.
The bill passed the House Education Committee with the support of Republicans. Representative Heather Matson of Ankeny and the other Democrats on the panel opposed it. “It is more money,” Matson said. “That does not actually make it adequate.”
Public school advocates say Iowa school districts need far more, suggesting anywhere from a three to five percent boost in state support of public schools facing inflation pressures as well as state law requiring $50,000 salaries for new teachers and a salary of at least $60,000 for educators who’ve been teaching 12 years or more.
Governor Reynolds has suggested a 2% increase in state per pupil spending while Senate Republicans proposed a quarter-of-a-percent less than that.