DES MOINES, Iowa — It's taken weeks to get to this point, but on Tuesday morning, House and Senate Republican leaders announced an agreement on K-12 funding for the 2020-2021 school year.
School districts had been holding out crafting their budgets for the upcoming school year as they waited to learn the outcome of discussions at the capitol. At the beginning of the session, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a spending package that came in higher than what Senate Repbulicans wanted.
The agreed-upon package will invest nearly $100 million in new funding into Iowa’s schools with additional resources targeted to specific priorities like rural school transportation and per pupil equity. The agreement breaks down as follows: Supplemental State Aid: $85.57 million; Rural Transportation: $7.65 million; Per Pupil Equity: $5.8 million, coming to a total of $99.02 million.
“This agreement continues our historic record of investment in Iowa’s schools,” said House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford). “Over the last decade, funding for K-12 schools will have grown to an all-time high of almost $3.4 billion. This is nearly one billion dollars more than 10 years earlier. Not only is this a significant investment in K-12 education, this is a funding promise that we know we will be able to follow through on.”
State law requires lawmakers to pass education funding within the first 30 days of the session, a deadline that lawmakers blew through late last month.
Democrats in both chambers have voiced opposition to the spending package, saying it's not enough money for teachers and students.
The House will take up the funding package following Senate action. Schools will be able to plan their budgets before the April 15 budget certification deadline.