State funding cuts would hit middle class, says official

IOWA CITY - Proposed cuts to state funding for preschool programs could lead to middle-class students being left out, Iowa City Assistant Superintendent Ann Feldmann said.

“It would cut out the students who come from middle-class families,” she said of a proposal by Gov. Terry Branstad to cut state funding for preschool for 4-year-olds.

If Branstad's plan goes through, it would cut state spending on preschool from about $70 million next year to $43 million. Parents would receive scholarships and pay $3 to $133 a month under the plan, based on income, with a family of four making more than $67,050 a year receiving no state aid. The plan has been approved by the Republican-led House, but there is no schedule to debate the bill in the Democratic-led Senate.

How the cuts would affect area school districts' preschool programs will depend on how deep they go.

Next year, the Iowa City district would receive about $575,350 in state aid for 163 eligible preschool students, up from about $441,000 for 125 students this year.

The College Community school district in Cedar Rapids would have the most preschoolers eligible for state aid enrolled next year with 235, collecting about $829,000 in state aid. In addition, the Clear Creek Amana, Solon, Tipton and West Branch would receive about $480,000 in state aid to enroll 136 children in preschool next year after not receiving any this year.

Many of the Iowa City district preschoolers would be enrolled at free programs at Hills and Twain elementaries but also at private partners, including Handicare and Stepping Stones. The district also works with the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County and has programs where the families pay full tuition at Mann, Van Allen and Garner elementaries.

Feldmann said if funding was cut, the district could keep those who pay tuition and who qualify for assistance based on income, but students in slightly higher income brackets likely would be out, along with possibly any teachers who would teach the extra students.

“If you're solely dependent on the state money, that's all you get,” she said. “We think we'll be able to run our classes, but we're worried about the students in the middle.”