Hunter
03/15/24
The Iowa Legislature has failed to meet a deadline to pass public school education funding for the upcoming fiscal year, as school districts face a deadline of today to file their budgets with their county auditors.
The legislators set a self-imposed deadline of 30 days after Governor Kim Reynolds laid out her proposals for state monies in her State of the State address. That would’ve been February 9th. As of today, they have been in violation of state code for 37 straight days. The governor proposed a 2.5% increase, and the Iowa House passed the bill with a 3% increase. The Senate has yet to come up with a figure.
The House also passed a bill raising new teacher pay that has yet to be ratified by the Senate.
The school districts now have to submit how much they’re going to collect in property taxes for their budget without knowing the amount of State Supplemental Aid they’re getting. If it comes in less than expected, some districts may have to raise property taxes.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says there is plenty of money to fund the schools, and the Governor’s Office says the increase in aid won’t be less than last year’s.