No good news for Iowa schools

Anyone attending tonight's legislative forum hoping for good news left disappointed.

School districts already coping with a 10 percent loss in state funding will face more cuts.

“Education spending and human services make up approximately 75 to 80 percent of the state's budget,” said Rep. Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids. “Because those two areas make up such a large chunk, there's going to have to be cuts.”

The annual forum, sponsored by the Cedar Rapids City PTA, was attended by state Reps. Todd Taylor, D-Cedar Rapids, and Nick Wagner, R-Marion, plus state Sen. Robb Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, and a representative for U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa.

The audience was made up of about 20 people, including Superintendent Dave Benson and board member John Laverty from the Cedar Rapids school district.

"When the bulk of your budget is in education, there's no way you can avoid cuts," Hogg said.

Lawmakers will discuss the budget line-by-line when the 2010 legislative session begins in January.