Iowa’s area education agencies ‘magic sauce’ in helping children succeed

NORTH LIBERTY — Teran Buettell, a school psychologist with Great Prairie AEA, was first a parent learning how to advocate for her children with disabilities.

When her children were younger, Buettell approached school leaders asking for help for her son with non-verbal learning disorder.

“The district we were in at the time was terrible to us. They called him lazy — which he was not — and told me if I were just a better parent he wouldn’t have these problems. I requested an evaluation for special education without really understanding what that was,” Buettell said.

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Eventually, Buettell learned about Iowa’s area education agencies that provide expertise to educators and families. Her son got the help he needed to succeed — and Buettell was inspired to go back to school and help families who are struggling to navigate the special education system.

Buettell was one of dozens of educators and parents who spoke Sunday in opposition to a bill proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this month that would upend the way area education agencies function and what services they are able to provide.

About 150 parents, educators and concerned citizens packed a community room in the North Liberty Public Library Sunday afternoon to advocate for AEAs. Extra chairs were brought in and people who couldn’t find seating made themselves comfortable sitting on the floor, standing against a wall and overflowed into the hallway.

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Six Johnson County legislators were in attendance at the town hall organized by Senators Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, and Zach Wahls, D-Coralville. Absent were Republican lawmakers Sen. Dawn Driscoll, of Williamsburg, Rep. Brad Sherman, of Williamsburg, and Rep. Heather Hora, of Washington. Wahls said they did not respond to an invitation.

“This crowd is incredible, and it speaks to the energy that has been activated around this issue,” Wahls said. “This fight is not over. In fact, it is really just beginning. These next several weeks and months are going to be absolutely vital to make sure we protect the system that we just heard today is working for Iowa kids and families.”

Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said people advocating for area education agencies have “already made a difference.”

“The reason this is having trouble — even in the Republican caucus — is because there are all kinds of legislators who have had the same experience I have gotten — about 1,000 emails about this issue and not one in support of the bill,” Zabner said.

Buettell said she is “outraged” over how the proposed legislation “based on ignorance, misrepresentation and lies” would overhaul AEAs and stymie their ability to provide services to thousands of students.

Where does the bill stand today?

The bill, House Study Bill 542, would prohibit the agencies from offering services beyond special education for students — and school districts could drop their current agency and look elsewhere for the services.

The Republican governor said the changes are needed because the state’s nine area education agencies have grown beyond their core mission of serving students with disabilities, while Iowa’s special education students perform below national averages.

Reynolds said the agencies have become bloated and top-heavy since they were created in the 1970s — but still leave districts without choice but to pay for them anyway.

Almost two weeks ago, Reynolds proposed loosening a main restriction in her bill that’s caused heartburn for some lawmakers, parents and teachers. This would allow AEAs to continue providing general education and media services, if requested by school districts and approved by the Iowa Department of Education. It also would allow schools to retain their share of AEA funding for general education services. The amendment to the bill had not been filed as of Sunday evening.

Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, said AEAs are “inviolable” in Iowa.

“Eleven days ago was the first time we heard from the governor that there would be an update to this bill,” Levin said. “Eleven days have gone by, and honestly, my guess is that the hope was that statement would calm things down. Today has proved we have not calmed down about this proposal, and we are not going to.”

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Parents, AEA professionals share stories of support, services

AEAs provide disability services, counseling and mental health services, professional development and other critical education functions in communities all across Iowa. The governor’s plan would eliminate some of those services and consolidate others, raising serious concerns among educators, parents, and communities throughout the state.

Teachers rely on the expertise of special education consultants in Iowa’s area education agencies to create a plan for a child that helps them meet their academic goals.

Jessica Roman — now a special education consultant with Grant Wood AEA — said as a teacher “AEA experts were at my fingertips for students with complex needs.”

Kim Cable, speech and language pathologist at Mississippi Bend AEA, is a parent of a child receiving Early ACCESS, Iowa’s early intervention system for infants and toddlers under 3 who are not developing as expected or who have a medical condition that can delay typical development.

This program is delivered by AEAs and is not mentioned in the governor’s bill, leaving educators and families worried about what the future of the program could look like.

Cable’s almost-2-year-old son was born prematurely at 31-weeks gestational age, putting him at risk for significant developmental delays, she said.

Her son spent 50 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Early ACCESS was there for them before they left the hospital, Cable said. “It’s really instrumental for our family,” she said.

Amanda Whaley said area education agencies provided help when she was a teacher in several Iowa school districts, and special education consultants were also there to “help cheer me on.”

Now a special education consultant with Mississippi Bend AEA, which serves more than 49,500 students in Eastern Iowa, Whaley works with students with challenging behaviors who often need assisted technology.

Assisted technology like mobility aids, screen reading software and speech recognition software to learn — while used to provide special education services to children — is an expense that falls under technology and education services, services that would be cut if the bill passes.

Britney McDonald, a parent of three children in the Iowa City Community School District, received special education services herself when she was growing up. She is now in her final year of studying social work at the University of Iowa. Two of her children are meeting the goals of their individualized education plans — legal documents developed by parents, teachers and AEA professionals for students who need special education — and will be exiting the program this year.

McDonald said she is “proud” of how Grant Wood AEA — which provides services to Iowa City — has helped her and her family.

Cole Gabriel shared that his child in elementary school in the Solon Community School District was recently evaluated for an IEP. He said AEA staff “guide us nervous parents and help put our minds to rest as our children hopefully achieve everything they hope for.”

”There was a team of kind, compassionate and highly professional people sitting there walking us through thankfully what was the right services to get my child where they needed to be,“ Gabriel said.

Staff with the AEA "never made my child feel like a number,“ Gabriel said. ”I feel I can already see a difference in my child — the pride as they’re learning and catching up with their schoolmates. Anything that messes with that magic sauce that helps our children get from point A to point B and employs people it is to help our children achieve their dreams is inappropriate and not up to the values of Iowa.“

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