Republican senators agreed on a 2% increase for K-12 school funding, along with additional money for transportation and other priorities. The funding also applies to Iowa’s charter schools and school voucher program.
The bill is 0.25% less than what the House proposed. It increases public school funding by nearly $130 million and funds for the state’s education savings accounts by almost $100 million.
The Senate version also eliminates more than $23 million in one-time supplemental funding for school districts. Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, says the bill provides over $4 billion for schools.
“We believe it's important to be honest with our school districts about the state's finances and not over-promise. This bill continues our focus of funding students over systems.”
Senate Democrats say the funding bill is too little and too late. According to Iowa law, the deadline for setting school funding passed nearly two months ago. The bill would also remove that deadline requirement.
This is the Legislature’s smallest percentage increase in recent years. Last year, lawmakers increased funding by 2.5%, and the year before, they agreed on a 3% increase.
The bill now heads to the House for a vote.