Legislative Priorities: Education Reform and Allowable Growth

With the legislative session in full swing education in Iowa is a hot topic.  Currently the two biggest issues are Education Reform that is being pushed by the Governor's Office and Allowable Growth for Iowa Schools.

Allowable Growth establishes the per pupil funding rate for Iowa Schools.  Per Iowa Code the legislature is to establish allowable growth within the first 30 days of session for the fiscal year 18 out.  Last spring they failed to set an allowable growth rate for the 13-14 school year, in the event that they don't establish allowable growth, it is set at 0%.  Over the past few years we have received 0% and 2% allowable growth.  This year, with State coffers full, the Senate is pushing for 4% allowable growth.

At this time Governor Branstad is proposing a complete overhaul of the funding system for Iowa Schools.  The details of that plan are just coming out.  In effect it appears that all school funding would come in the form of State Aid.  Effectively taking away what little local control School Boards currently have in the funding process.

Governor Branstad is also pushing his current Education Reform package.  While there are components of the plan that I believe are good for education in Iowa, peer collaboration, peer review, and increased teacher compensation to name a few.  The devil is in the details, and it is unclear how this will be funded and implemented across the State.

Below is a recent update from the Iowa Association of School Boards.

Tim Kuehl, Superintendent

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Week Four Legislative Action The first legislative funnel (when a bill must have passed a committee to remain alive) is a mere four weeks away. The pace of bills being introduced continues to be slow. The House Education Committee has focused primarily on education reform but is starting to turn its attention to other legislative issues as well. Mandate bills, introduced in both chambers, are starting to pop up as well. These include such topics as: increased education requirements for guidance counselors, radon testing and mitigation, increased training for coaches to recognize the signs of concussion and the addition of a financial literacy requirement to education standards.     Education Reform Work Continues The House subcommittee on HSB 4, the governor's education reform proposal, concluded its work this week and referred the bill to the full committee. The subcommittee made no changes to the bill and indicated that amendments would be dealt with at the full committee level. Chairman Ron Jorgensen (R-Sioux City) has set a goal of committee passage of this bill by Wednesday, February 13.     The Senate subcommittee on SSB 1058, the governor's education reform proposal, continues to meet but at a slower pace than the House. IASB anticipates at least two more subcommittee meetings in the coming weeks before full committee action in the Senate.   IASB continues to work closely with legislative leaders and the governor's office to push for inclusion of our recommendations to improve student assessment requirements and to provide more flexibility to districts to adopt a career ladder plan that meets their specific needs. IASB continues to stress that the "one-size-fits-all" approach currently contained in the bill will not work in all districts. More flexibility to reach the goal of improving classroom instruction is necessary for all districts to be successful in achieving this goal.   Please continue to talk with your legislators in both chambers to let them know how these proposals would impact your district (use this link to find your legislators contact information, https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislators/find.aspx). In addition, do not overlook contacts with the governor's office to make your case for sufficient funding and flexibility to implement the changes. Visit the IASB Legislative Advocacy Center for talking points on this issue.    Allowable Growth Still Undetermined Despite Senate action to approve a 4% allowable growth rate for the upcoming fiscal year, the House has maintained that education reform needs to be completed before funding decisions are made. IASB continues to stress that districts need this issue resolved quickly to allow for proper planning for the upcoming school year.     The Senate is also poised to take action on the FY 2015 allowable growth rate within the requirements of Iowa. No bills have been introduced in the House to take a comparable action.   Finally, Governor Branstad unveiled his proposal, HSB 108, for delivering allowable growth to school districts in the future. His proposal would replace the term "allowable growth" with "supplemental state aid." This would freeze the current property tax and state aid mix of per-pupil funding at $6,001. Any growth above that per-pupil funding level would be comprised of all state money. For instance, a 4% growth rate would increase the per-pupil amount by $240. This amount would be provided with only state money. IASB is registered as undecided on this bill as it assesses its long-term impact on school funding.   Bill Tracker SF 66 - Early Retirement Incentive Funding by Danielson (D) This bill eliminates the age 65 cap on the early retirement age for purposes of using the management fund to fund the early retirement benefits. On February 6, IASB sent a survey to school business managers asking them to answer a few questions on the cost of their early retirement programs. This information is to assist IASB in providing information to the Legislative Services Agency to develop an estimate of the potential cost to a district's management fund. IASB supports the bill, which is in the House Education Committee. (If you did not receive this survey and would like to have your responses included, please e-mail Marte Brightman, mbrightman@ia-sb.org for the survey link.)   SF 49 – Radon Testing and Mitigation by McCoy (D) This bill requires public and accredited nonpublic schools to conduct radon tests of their attendance centers at least every two years. If the radon levels are four picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or greater, they must conduct a second test. If the second test shows the same or higher results, the schools must then undergo radon mitigation. IASB surveyed school districts this week regarding the status and costs of radon testing and mitigation. IASB is currently registered opposed to the bill because of the potential cost and the strict timeline for implementation. The bill  is in the Senate State Government Committee.     SF 161, SF 162 – FY 14 Allowable Growth by Education Both of these bills set the allowable growth rate at four percent for FY 15 for general state aid and the categorical funds. IASB supports both bills, which are on the Senate debate calendar     HF 157 – Sunset Extended for Class Size Reduction/Early Intervention Funds by Steckman (D), et al. This bill extends the sunset for the Class Size Reduction/Early Intervention funds to the end of FY 18. The funds are set to expire on June 30, 2013. IASB supports the bill, which is in the House Education Committee. Make sure to contact your legislators and let them know how crucial it is to extend this funding stream.  Without action on this legislation, the funds will no longer be available.   HF 140 - Supplemental Weighting for Shared Operations by Dolecheck, (R) et al. HF 96 - Supplemental Weighting for Shared Operations by Ruff (D) Both of these bills extend the sunset for the supplemental weighting for shared operations until FY 19. The funds are set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year. IASB supports both bills,which are in the House Education Committee.   HSB 84 – Instructional Hours by Education This bill, based on recommendations of the Instructional Time Task Force, eliminates the 18- day requirement and replaces it with a 1080-hour requirement.  Schools would count all time except for lunch time. All other exceptions, including for parent-teacher conferences, would not be counted toward the hour requirement. IASB supports the bill and the recommendations of the task force, which is in the House Education Committee.