DES MOINES, IA (01/12/2016)(readMedia)--For the fifth consecutive year the Branstad-Reynolds administration has demonstrated a callous disregard for students in Iowa's public schools. Following a well-worn tale of tight revenues, the administration proposed less than what schools are in desperate need of in basic aid but more in tax cuts for businesses. While the governor did not mention FY18 school funding in his speech, we are hopeful he is not planning to break Iowa law and refuse to set this level in his budget.
The Branstad Reynolds administration also found a new way to rob Iowa's schools by asking students to help pay for water quality rather than asking the polluters to pay. The 1 cent sales tax sharing proposal, offered to schools by way of holding an extension of the fund hostage, means that schools will be on the hook to help pay for clean water. Meanwhile, many schools still have their own "environmental" needs not being met such as:
- Up-to-date HVAC systems to keep students cool in hot months and warm in winter.
- Up-to-date technology purchases to meet 21st century curricular and testing needs.
- Transportation inequities resolved to fix the almost 25 percent spending disparities among school districts.
This week, he promised to make students a priority. However, until Iowa's schools and our students have all of their essential needs met, including an increase in basic school aid to make up for five years of inadequate funding, the Branstad-Reynolds' promise of making education a priority is an empty one.
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The ISEA represents more than 34,000 education professionals in Iowa.
