Photo: Getty Images
(Des Moines, IA) -- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed SF 192, a bill that increases per-student education funding by 3 percent, bringing general fund spending on K-12 education to $3.8 billion.
“This results in a $1.19 billion increase in K-12 education funding since 2012,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This investment represents our commitment to an excellent education system for all Iowans.”
The bill passed out of the Iowa Legislature along party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats voting against.
Craig Johnson (R) Buchanan County remarked, "Being predictable with what we do here in Iowa is important to us. This bill will do that. Being affordable we're going to afford this again this year, and next year, and the year after that."
Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott released the following statement:
“The school funding bill that passed the House today and the Senate last week fails to meet the needs facing students and teachers in districts across Iowa,” Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said. “That’s especially true in rural Iowa, where 72 districts will actually lose state funding compared to the current year.”
The Republican plan increases school funding by 3 percent, or about $107 million, for the upcoming school year. But for 72 largely rural districts across the state, that increase will not offset the funding lost due to declining enrollments, meaning they’ll receive less state support than they’re getting now.
While state support for school is tied to enrollment numbers, schools must contend with fixed costs for building maintenance, supplies and more. Declining enrollment can mean thousands less in funding, with no equal drop in expenses. Most districts will make up that loss by raising property taxes.
“If you live in one of these 72 districts, your local senator voted to provide less support for kids and teachers in your community,” Trone Garriott said. “Iowans deserve to know when their elected representatives vote to hurt their communities and leave kids with less. And if you live in one of these districts, your senator needs to hear from you.”