Iowa lawmakers approve compromise on education funding

DES MOINES - A House-Senate panel Wednesday approved a $986 million education budget compromise for fiscal 2015 that would cover a tuition freeze at state universities, fund K-12 education reforms with $49 million and boost operating money for community colleges by $8 million.

The compromise was approved after Republicans in the Iowa House agreed to drop a plan to carve up spending increases at different levels among regent universities. Overall, the bill would boost spending for regent universities, community colleges, the state education and blind departments, and the College Aid Commission by $87 million beginning July 1.

'I think it's a good budget, it's a good compromise,” said Sen. Brian Schoenjahn, D-Arlington, co-chair of the House-Senate panel that hammered out the compromise. 'I believe we have delivered on a promise to our families to keep tuition affordable and to keep our student debt as under control as we possibly can.”

The Iowa Senate voted 28-21 to approve the bill with Republican Sens. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City and Nancy Boettger of Harlan joining 26 majority Democrats for passage. The Iowa House voted 89-8 to approve the measure Wednesday night and send it to Gov. Terry Branstad for his consideration.

The bill, Senate File 2347, would boost state university operations by 4 percent and provide an extra $2.625 million for the University of Northern Iowa to acknowledge it has a higher percentage of in-state students as part of the agreement by lawmakers, Gov. Terry Branstad and the regent institutions to freeze resident tuition for a second time next fiscal year.

The regent universities would be in line for $583 million, a $24 million increase, while the community colleges' $201 million funding level would be an $8 million increase and private college student aid also would get a raise in the fiscal year beginning July 1.

At Wednesday's Board of Regents meeting in Council Bluffs, President Bruce Rastetter thanked legislators for taking action toward allowing for a second consecutive tuition freeze for undergraduate in-state students. He said the 4 percent funding boost for public universities was key in making that happen.

'They would have some explaining to do if they didn't,” said Rep. Cecil Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr, co-leader of the Legislature's education budget subcommittee.

The House had passed a version that took roughly $4.4 million from the University of Iowa's appropriation, giving the Iowa City school a 2 percent budget increase while Iowa State University and the UNI each would have received 4 percent. But, in the end, the conferees approved the Senate approach with less extra money for UNI than the $4.4 million Branstad requested in his budget plan.

The measure also included $40.3 million for worker training to target specific local skill shortage areas and train workers for those jobs. Provisions called for $6 million in ACE funding and $5 million for the Kibbie Grants, which help adults seeking certification in the most 'in-need” career fields. There was no new money for anti-bullying measures in K-12 schools, but the state Department of Education was directed to compile a progress report and improve the teaching of literacy skills with an extra $2 million allotment.

Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, expressed concern that the education budget met the joint target but did not provide adequate funding levels in many areas. She said the state has a hefty budget surplus and lawmakers are spending below what is authorized under the 99 percent limitation.

'With the dollars you were given, you addressed as many priorities as you could,” Winckler told the conference committee leaders. 'I think we could have done better. We do have the resources.”

'If I would have had $5 million more, I would have made everybody happy,” Schoenjahn said.