A plan to provide a 2% increase in the state’s per pupil spending on Iowa’s K-12 public and private schools has cleared the Senate with the support of 29 Republicans. It amounts to nearly eight-thousand dollars per pupil in public schools and the same amount for parents who’ve signed up for an Educational Savings Account to cover private school expenses for their child. Senator Lynn Evans, a Republican from Aurelia, is a retired superintendent.
Senate Democrats proposed a five percent increase. Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott, a Democrat from Waukee, says two percent per pupil growth in state support isn’t enough for school districts with slow or no enrollment growth.
Senator Adrian Dickey, a Republican from Packwood, says he thinks it’s time to make a few other things in Iowa a spending priority, like support for volunteer fire fighters.
Senator Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, says school funding isn’t just about the education sector.
Three Republican senators who represent rural school districts joined 15 Senate Democrats in opposing the bill. Republicans in the House have proposed a higher state spending level for K-through-12 students, including a one-time $22.6 million infusion to help schools deal with inflationary costs.
