Educators travel to Des Moines to implore lawmakers for school funding

DES MOINES - Teachers, school officials, and education groups on Monday night urged state lawmakers to deliver more state funding than what Gov. Terry Branstad has proposed.

Educators from across the state traveled to the Capitol for a public hearing called by Democrats in the Iowa Legislature to address the level of state funding in K-12 education over the next two fiscal years.

More than 100 individuals signed up to attend the hearing, and 45 spoke at the hearing. All but one - the governor's representative - said the funding proposal is insufficient.

The message from those dozens of education advocates: the 1.25 percent and 2.45 percent increases in state aid proposed by Branstad fall well short of what is necessary to avoid larger class sizes, outdated textbooks, program cuts and staff layoffs.

'We feel it is inadequate to do the job that schools need to do to provide a high-quality education,” said Jeff Anderson, president of the Iowa Association of School Boards.

Many schools and advocacy groups are requesting 6 percent increases in each of the next two fiscal years.

Branstad and Statehouse Republicans who support his plan say there is not enough room in the state budget for increases of that size.

Rep. Ron Jorgensen, R-Sioux City, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he's open to compromising on the amount of state aid but not at the risk of upending the state budget.

'It all boils down to if we can find additional, realistic, sustainable, ongoing revenue sources to help fund education, I'm more than willing to look at that,” Jorgensen said after Monday's hearing. 'But I'm not willing to spend more than we bring in or continue to commit ongoing expenses with just one-time revenue sources.”

But, Jorgensen said, based on the nonpartisan state financial estimates he has seen, he is 'not sure where that will come from.”

An Iowa Association of School Boards analysis suggests Branstad's proposal would not meet expected cost increases for nearly four in five districts, meaning those districts would have to reduce funding to make budget.

A representative of Davenport schools said the district likely would be forced to lay off staff under Branstad's proposed funding levels.

Dawn Saul, a spokeswoman for the district, said that because enrollment is declining, the district does not see the full impact of per-pupil spending increases. That makes low increases hit them even harder, she said.

'We have been in a budget reduction mode for years,” Saul said. 'The low-hanging fruit is gone. The goal we've tried to maintain, of staying away from reductions that would impact our students and saving jobs, is not realistic if this happens.”

Educators said they are disappointed Branstad uses funding for the state's new teacher development program when he defends his proposed education funding levels.

'It looks like the governor is including the teacher leadership and compensation funds as part of that overall calculation of supplemental state aid, and if so, that is a bait and switch,” said Bill Schneden, an executive director for Davenport schools, who spoke at Monday night's hearing. 'The teacher leadership and compensation system is an amazing and transformational change, but it was advertised and explained as an addition to normal operations above and beyond what districts were doing.

'To now consider those funds as part of the state contribution to supplemental aid means that we have been misled about the funding of the program.”

Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association, said she hopes lawmakers and the governor hear Monday night's message that is coming from 'all four corners of the state.”

'I just don't understand how they could ignore this at this point,” Wawro said. 'This is not a Des Moines issue. It's not a rural or urban issue. It's our issue. … How can they ignore the consequences?”

House Republicans plan to call their proposal up for debate on the House floor Tuesday.