It has been quite a week in the Iowa legislature, as AEAs lobbied against the proposed additional $5 million funding reduction that was introduced late last week. Thank you to all who contacted your legislators--the response across the state was heard and many partners joined us in telling the story of the true implications that will result from lost services.
The reality is that while the state general fund revenue has had steady growth over the past five years, funding for Iowa schools and AEAs has lagged behind. By prioritizing other funding ahead of education, the legislature found they had a shortfall in balancing their budgets, and AEAs became a target for closing part of the gap. (Just last year, state general fund revenue growth was in excess of 6%, but AEAs and schools were given a 1.25% increase. For next year, the state general fund is projected to grow at 4.1% while the legislature and Governor approved a 2.25% increase.)
At noon today, the Senate passed the standings bill to reduce the proposed AEA cut to $3.75 million instead of $5 million. The House will still have to act and these numbers certainly remain in flux as the session moves to adjournment.
Even with the proposed reduction in funding, AEAs are federally mandated to support students with special needs, and in the short-term, Heartland AEA does not plan to reduce staff serving our most vulnerable students. But our agency will also not be able to sustain reductions in funding over time without a negative impact on services we provide. The legislature’s on-going reduction already prevents us from hiring as many additional new staff members as needed to keep pace with the growing student population across our service area.
While there are many disappointments coming from this year’s legislative session, Iowa’s educational system remains strong. By focusing our work on improving the learning outcomes for students, we will continue to provide a valued service to students and their families. We look forward to opportunities to collaborate with our elected leaders to find ways to restore our state’s commitment to predictable and adequate funds necessary to assure all of Iowa’s children have the education necessary for a bright future.
Paula Vincent
Chief Administrator
Heartland AEA
Friday, April 22, 2016
Don’t Delay! Transportation Agreements are Due April 29
Order Your School’s 2016-17 Student Planners Through Heartland AEA
Quality and affordable student planners are available for your school through Heartland AEA’s Creative Services Department. Planners have a plastic front and back cover, coil binding and contain intro pages, planner pages, note pages and numerous reference and resource pages from which to choose. The planners include a full-year calendar to accommodate extended year schedules.
Visit our website to choose your preferred cover design, planner pages and reference pages from our set styles for planners. Optional pages, such as hall passes, can be added for an additional fee. Place your orders by May 1, 2016 so they will be ready for the beginning of the school year.
For more information, contact the Heartland AEA Creative Services Department at (800) 255-0405 ext. 14368 or creativeservices@heartlandaea.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)