The following is a legislative update from Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City:
MORE TRANSPORATION DOLLARS PROVIDE FAIRER SCHOOL FUNDING
The Legislature has taken a small step in the right direction by passing $14 million in additional funding to make things a little fairer for students, regardless of where they live.
I preferred a more comprehensive plan we developed in collaboration with the Iowa Association of School Boards and a bipartisan group of legislators. But after two years of negotiations, SF 455 finally has been sent to the Governor.
The bill reduces the gap in how much school districts can spend per student with the money they get from the state. Every school district will receive a portion of this $2.9 million effort – either to increase school funding or for local property tax relief.
In addition, a new $11.2 million fund will help school districts that spend the most to bus their students. School districts in Iowa’s small towns and rural areas are using more and more of their education funding to pay for transportation. This translates into fewer dollars for the classroom.
The one-time investment by SF 455 will not eliminate the problem, but it does provide much-needed financial assistance to 140 school districts, making the amount available to educate our kids a little more equal once they arrive at the school doors.
10 GOOD BIPARTISAN BILLS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD
- Expanding Safe Haven laws (SF 360).
- Good Samaritan protections for seeking emergency assistance for alcohol overdoses (SF 415).
- Guaranteed health care coverage for services provided over telemedicine (HF 2305).
- Requiring everyone with an OWI to get an ignition interlock and eliminating temporary license restrictions (HF 2338).
- Guaranteeing health care coverage for spouses of fallen officers who were killed in the line of duty (HF 2351).
- Having every Iowa school establish a security plan to follow in emergencies (SF 2253).
- Expanding services for Iowans with complex mental health and substance abuse needs (SF 2351).
- Making our roads safer by expanding the Move Over, Slow Down law (HF 2304).
- Keeping anyone convicted of sex offenses off school property (HF 2276).
- Studying how best to treat sex offenders who require nursing care (HF 2345).
