DES MOINES, IOWA (February 7, 2020) — If Iowa is going to compete in the 21st-Century global economy, we need to make a strong investment in our students and schools.
After several lean years, we ought to set our sights on the long-term payoff we can achieve through a robust investment in education.
The amount approved by the Senate Education Committee for the 2020-2021 school year will not be enough. SSB3096 increases basic school funding by 2.1% over this school year. This funding helps keep the lights and heat on, make technology improvements, replace outdated textbooks and maintain manageable class sizes.
A 2.1% increase is less than the 2.5% increase that the Governor and House Republicans are recommending.
It’s less than the increase the Governor and Republican-controlled Legislature approved for out-of-state, for-profit corporations to run the troubled privatized Medicaid program.
We can and should provide additional funding for schools so that they can take care of critical needs they’ve put off for years.
A second bill (SF2143) provides additional funding for some schools that are falling behind because their local costs are higher than the state funding they receive.
Under the bill, about 190 schools will get an additional $10 per student on top of the basic school funding they’ll receive for the upcoming school year. Taxpayers in all other Iowa school districts will get a small property tax decrease.
The bill also provides additional money for school districts that have high transportation costs, freeing up more school funding for educating kids in their classrooms.
Additional information
This is a legislative update by State Senator Jim Lykam, representing Davenport and Buffalo. For bio, photos and further information, go to senate.iowa.gov/senator/lykam.
To contact Sen Lykam when the Legislature is in session, call the Senate Switchboard at 515-281-3371. Otherwise he can be reached at 563-391-1919. E-mail him at jim.lykam@legis.iowa.gov.
Sen Lykam serves on the following committees:
