Governor Backs Down on Previous School Funding Proposal

North Tama District Patrons, 

I wanted to share this article from yesterday's Des Moines Register with you. The article gives us a "sneak peek" into what the governor is thinking with regard to Supplemental State Aid (SSA) for the coming budget year. Governor Branstad said yesterday that he is required by law to look at December’s revenue estimates before he can recommend any funding levels. It's funny how our state government intends to follow THAT law, but not the one requiring them to approve the level of funding a year in advance, allowing districts to plan ahead. The governor had previously said that he'd like to see SSA set at about 2.45% for this coming year, but now he's saying that he can't commit to that right now.    

The Governor said, “I have to wait until we have the December revenue estimate to base my budget...It’s my hope that we can do (2.45 percent), but it’s going to be a little more difficult that the October revenue estimate was reduced by $125 million.”

My best guess...the governor will end up recommending somewhere between 1.25 and 1.75% SSA, and after a great deal of politcal wrangling, we'll end up with somewhere in between 1.25 and 2%. This is simply not enough to keep up with the rising costs that school districts are facing, especially considering the fact that schools have been "shorted" for several years. Schools are very likely to end up with 1.25 to 2% unless MANY, MANY Iowans contact their legislators to express how upset they are that schools have been shortchanged repeatedly over the past five years. I strongly urge you to get involved and to advocate for Iowa schools! 

The full Des Moines Register article can be viewed here: 

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2015/11/16/branstad-must-revisit-previous-education-funding-proposal/75894318/