Lang
1/19/24
Iowa governor Kim Reynolds has altered her plan for a major overhaul of the state’s Area Education Agencies due to negative feedback.
During her Condition of the State address earlier this month, Reynolds said she planned to prohibit AEA’s from offering services other than special education resources for students. Reynolds accused the agencies of over-reaching and amassing large administrative expenses. In her speech, she said Iowa is paying more than the national average per pupil on special education services, while students with disabilities are performing below the national average.
But in a Thursday news release, Reynolds scaled-back her rhetoric. She now says after receiving feedback from parents, legislators, school superintendents, and teachers, she met with legislators to discuss changes to a bill that would reform Iowa’s AEA’s. An amendment to the bill would propose automatically shifting control of state and federal special education funding from the AEAs to Iowa’s public school districts. It would also allow schools to retain their share of AEA funding for general education services.
AEAs would continue to provide all special education services they do now. They would also provide general education services and media services if requested by schools and approved by the Department of Education.
Also under the bill, special education oversight would shift to the Iowa Department of Education.