MASON CITY – Senator Amanda Ragan warned again that if the state doesn’t adequately fund schools, class sizes will grow.
Here is her statement:
Another year of inadequate state funding for K-12 schools will result in larger class sizes. That’s what school administrators tell us in a new survey. Superintendents, principals and other school officials completed the survey in recent weeks to help us better understand the consequences of shortchanging public schools, and to determine the impact of the Governor’s veto last summer of bipartisan school funding.
In addition to packing more students into classrooms, school leaders say underfunding schools will force them to:
· Delay purchasing books and classroom materials (77 percent of respondents).
· Leave positions unfilled (71 percent).
· Delay new technology purchases (56 percent).
· Cut back on programs that help kids learn to read (43 percent).
An increase of at least 4 percent in basic state aid to schools is what’s needed for the next school year to avoid these types of drastic cuts, according 88 percent of school leaders who responded to the survey. Michelle Arneson, Elementary Principal at Nashua-Plainfield, says, “We are a small rural school district. Increased state support for education is EXTREMELY important for our district.”
We can afford to make public schools a bipartisan priority of the Legislature again. Our state savings accounts are at a record high level of $719 million, equal 10 percent of state budget. In addition, we expect to end the year with a surplus of $264 million.
To view complete results from the school administrator survey, go to here.
ALSO:
Mason City legislative listening post – February 6, 2016 @ 10:00 am at Mason City Public Library, 225 2nd St SE, Mason City.
BOD – Your right 99% of my family and friends KNOW MR. TRUMP is overqualified to be president – take your demorats and go south – way south of mekico – all your side has is a liar/maybe thief and a socialist (commie} to show your intelligence. We the people are tired of your BS and LIES. Better start packing cause the Donald is going to give your last choice a kick in the rear on his way out the door..-what! 363 more days of misery for the honest hard working people of America.
“363 more days of misery for the honest hard working people of America.”
And then your world will be all sunshine & roses, huh?
You’re an idiot.
give every kid a voucher for the money being taken from their parents. Let the parents spend it where they please. Public school, private school, home school. ITS THEIR money, let them make the decision on where to spend it. You would then start to see results.
Absolutely right. But the Democrats will never let it happen cause the teacher unions own them. And Amanda Regan knows it.
There goes Ragan again. Always looking out for the teachers union.
Kids not so much.
National TV – No kidding ! 10% of all college graduates think JUDGE JUDY is actually a member of the US supreme court.
Prove that one buddy. Probably 99% of your family thinks Donald Trump has the knowledge to be president too.
I wish she would work half as hard for the private low income sector as she does for Iowa’s largest well paid teachers and UNION. She has to be getting some benefit from all this fat cat labor.
The grades didn’t improve when class sizes became smaller, so I don’t see how a larger class size is going to hurt. The Schools didn’t see a decrease in funding. We are spending more now than we ever have.
That was a really stupid statement on her part. Less and less students every year equals smaller class sizes. Do away with the special interest classes and there will be lots of extra teachers.
Yes, the sky is falling. Ask any un-biased school administrator and they will surely tell you the same thing.