DES MOINES, Iowa — Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have been top of mind for many Iowa Republicans this session as Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced major reforms to AEAs earlier this year.
Despite Reynolds making major changes to the proposed legislation due to pushback from advocates, it still wasn't enough to sway some members of her own party.
House Republicans took matters into their own hands, proposing a new version of the AEA reform bill. The legislation was heard in subcommittee on Thursday.
The biggest different between House Republicans' legislation and Reynolds' legislation is the timeline. HSB 713 extends the timeline for reforms to the 2025-2026 school year, while Reynolds' bill would go into effect in 2024.
Additionally, under the new proposal, the Iowa Department of Education will still oversee AEAs, but a taskforce will be put together to advise with the DOE.
Advocates appreciate the taskforce implementation but would like to have a say in who is on the taskforce and what language is used.
"One, we really appreciate the task force. Two, the crisis intervention services: As I'm sure you've heard before, it was the AEAs that led that team up in Perry. And then three, we really want to hone in on operational sharing," said Denise Rathman, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers.
During the subcommittee meeting on Thursday, advocates commended lawmakers for listening and making changes, showing their support for the new legislation. However, there are still concerns surrounding provider sharing and requiring schools to only use one AEA for all services.
"We want to make sure that we, in whatever structure, or however this moves forward, that we are maximizing the professional workforce," said Lisa Chushatt, executive director of Iowa Aces 360.
In the bill introduced by House Republicans, AEAs will continue to be in total control of all special education funds and services. School districts will be in control of media services and education services, but required to use those funds only on AEAs.
Rep. Skylar Wheeler, the chair of the House Education Committee, says their legislation has changed drastically from Reynolds' proposal.
"This is not the final product," Wheeler said. "I'm open to changes on the taskforce. We can continue to have conversations on operational sharing."
Notably, Reynolds' bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee Wednesday, but not through the House. Legislation must pass through both the Iowa House and Senate in order to become law.