Iowa Democrats say $977 million too little for education

DES MOINES - The Iowa House approved nearly $1 billion in education appropriations that called for a tuition freeze for the third year in a row at state universities and removed a controversial performance-based funding plan that would reward the universities for enrolling Iowa students.

House File 658, which would appropriate $977 million, represents an $8.6 million cut from the current budget. It also is $48.4 million less than what the Senate has proposed and $44.9 million below the governor's budget.

Floor manager Rep. Cecil Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr, acknowledged that some lawmakers thought the bill did not spend enough.

'We spend the amount we have available,” he said. The bill adheres to the GOP budget principles of not spending more than the state takes in and not funding ongoing programs and services with one-time funds.

But the bill, approved 55-42, did not reflect Iowa's education priority, said Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City.

'What is your vision for public education?” she said. 'Is your vision for mediocracy or worse?”

'My no vote was a reflection of the fact that we could do better,” added Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City.

In addition to the universities, the bill funds the departments of Blind at $2.35 million (no change) and Education at $329 million ($5.8 million cut), and the College Student Aid Commission at $63.8 million ($1.99 million cut).

During the debate, Democrats offered an amendment to increase supplemental school aid for K-12 schools 2.625 percent - the same as the Senate has approved. It was ruled not germane to the bill.

However, representatives did approve an amendment by Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, to require the universities to use savings identified in the first phase of an efficiency review to continue the tuition freeze.

The savings amount to $27 million at the University of Iowa, $17.7 million at Iowa State University and $4.7 million at the University of Northern Iowa. To freeze tuition, UI would need $4 million, ISU $3.16 million and UNI $1.56 million, he said.

'If we are going to have an efficiency study,” Grassley said, 'I want the savings to go to the students.” After funding the tuition freeze out of the general fund for two years, Grassley said asking the universities to use the savings seemed fair.

His amendment was adopted 92-3, with Dolecheck, Mascher and Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, voting 'no.”

Dolecheck fared better on an amendment to maintain the House funding levels for the regents but use the same formula as the Senate to divide general aid among the universities. It was approved 54-43. The Senate increased general aid by $16.2 million, dividing it 45.41 percent to UI, 35.99 to ISU and 18.6 percent for UNI.

That prompted Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, to withdraw an amendment he offered with Mascher to change the funding plan. Starting a bidding war among the universities to address an inequity in UNI's funding 'while punishing the UI is not a solution,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the House approved a $49.8 million administration and regulation budget, which eventually was approved 55-41 on a party-line vote.

'This bill is a total mess,” said Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines. He charged that Republicans spent more time on taking money away from agencies than on how to fund the services provided by 14 departments and agencies.

It also approved 84-7 a bill to create a renewable chemical production tax credit to encourage the production of chemical 'co-products” from biomass feedstock, such as those used in the production of renewable fuels.