A disappointing school funding deal

At long last, Iowa lawmakers have reached and approved a bipartisan deal on funding Iowa's public schools.

'Reasonable” seems to be the most used term to describe the accord, which increases basic, per-pupil state aid for K-12 districts by 2.25 percent, or roughly $100 million, this fall. Lawmakers also approved $53 million in new spending on efforts to improve teaching. These spending aims do fit within the constraints of a tight state budget, with revenues squeezed by dipping farm income and other factors. Of the new dollars lawmakers have to spend this session, education is getting most of them. That does seem reasonable.

What's unreasonable is, under state law, funding for the next school year should have been approved more than a year ago. Our lawmakers repeatedly have become lawbreakers in recent years, denying local schools ample time to plan for how best to use scarce funds. And with no deal this session on funding for 2017-2018, the sad streak of sidestepping our law continues.

So the deal is a year late and many dollars short of what's needed by districts, many with declining enrollments, working to cover the basic costs of operation, including personnel, programs, transportation, materials and other needs. And it's the product of what has become a tiresome brand of politics, with Democrats and Republicans bickering over percentages and pointing fingers.

Lost in this annual standoff is any real discussion on how Iowa's schools can transformed and improved in the face of massive technological, social and economic change. The spirit of change marking the early days of Gov. Terry Branstad's fifth term, with an education summit and calls for world class schools, has faded.

Funding is certainly a factor. Tight budgets don't often cover bold initiatives. Average annual increases in school funding have declined. In 2013, lawmakers approved a massive commercial property tax reduction package that is now gobbling state revenues. More tight budgets are ahead.

Neither party has moved to help districts deal with this new reality. Lawmakers should be driving a debate on spending reforms, resource-sharing, new potential funding sources and other efforts to stretch public dollars. This fall, voters should demand far more than a yearly fight yielding disappointment.

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