The following is a legislative update from State Senator Amanda Ragan, representing Franklin, Butler and Cerro Gordo counties:
Second chance for strong school funding
Schools have been in a tough position for years, grappling with inadequate funding to meet student needs. There still is a chance we can do better for them this year though.
On Monday, I voted to increase school funding by a modest 3% for 2020-21. Unfortunately, the proposal was defeated in favor of a spending level that will shortchange our schools by about a third.
When the House took up the bill on Tuesday, however, they agreed the Senate funding level was not enough. Because the two chambers approved different amounts, the Senate will need to vote on SF 2142 again. That means we have another chance to push for the strong investment our students and schools deserve.
I believe we should give our schools an extra boost to take care of critical needs that have been piling up after many lean years. A modest and affordable 3% increase in basic school funding would help keep the lights and heat on, make technology improvements, replace outdated textbooks and maintain manageable class sizes.
This is a matter of priorities.
Busing money will help rural schools
A second funding bill is headed to the Governor for her signature after bipartisan approval in the House and Senate.
SF 2164 provides additional funding for schools that are falling behind because their local costs are higher than the state funding they receive. The bill does two things:
- Gives 195 of Iowa’s 327 school districts an additional $10 per student for the upcoming school year. Taxpayers in the remaining school districts will get a small property tax decrease.
- Builds on last year’s efforts to address the high cost of transporting rural students. An estimated 204 school districts will receive extra funding to help cover busing. This will ensure more dollars make it to the classroom to be spent on educating students.
This is long overdue. It doesn’t eliminate the inequity in funding among school districts, but it certainly helps.
Just wait until the Old Communist should happen to win and the teachers union loses their health and retirement benefits under him
Supposedly the richest country in the world and teachers have to spend their own money to buy kids supplies. IT IS NOT RIGHT!
That’s easy stupid. Don’t buy it.
Most teachers have more integrity than that.
You didn’t!
How would you know? You haven’t set foot in a school for 50 years.
That just shows how terribly ignorant you really are. I continued my education for years after leaving college and I did it on my own.
Kissing your bosses butts isn’t education nor is mowing your lawn.
AnonymousReply Report comment
February 16, 2020 at 9:23 am
You didn’t!
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Anonymous
February 16, 2020 at 12:34 pm
How would you know? You haven’t set foot in a school for 50 years.
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Anonymous
February 17, 2020 at 8:04 am
That just shows how terribly ignorant you really are. I continued my education for years after leaving college and I did it on my own.
Losers and thieves just don’t BLONG here
Anonymous
February 15, 2020 at 9:20 am
“A lot of educating goes on in sports teamwork being just one.”
Team projects in the classroom also teach this, at less cost. How much more does a school have to pay for insurance a year, because of sports liabilities (not just due to injuries during, but also while being transported to and from), or extra wages for coaches, drivers, officials for the sports?
When I went to school, we had several team (group for those that can’t figure it out) projects. Work together or fail together, just like sports.
You learned discipline, behave or you were gone, period. There were punishments and failures, not oh it’s okay, take it for the twentieth time, you might pass it this time.
I came from a small school, we didn’t have much, so you LEARNED. Having sports can be nice, it gives the school leverage to push the kids to LEARN in the classroom, or not participate. That’s what sports are good for in high school.
At what cost?
De-Certify the TEACHERS UNION. Save millions.
The only time (in my opinion) when a positive response is gotten from Ms. Ragan, is when she agrees with you. Many times I have contacted her and asked her to support an issue or bill, and if she isn’t interested in it or doesn’t support it, her replies have been; ” thank you for advocating” or ” thank you for expressing your opinion”.
If I were to contact her and ask that she please give our school systems millions and millions more in funding, even if it bankrupts the state, then she would most likely agree with me.
Are you jealous of people with Pensions?
Let me explain, those with Pensions negotiated for them a long time ago. You cannot decide to take them away at a whim. First, you have no legal standing, next, by law, it has to be negotiated.
The real question is, how come you did not negotiate with your employer for a pension? Or would you rather be take the crumbs your employer throws down to you.
Now then, lets look at the other issue.
with out going deep into economics, it is plain that the cost of everything, from reams of paper, to desks to chalk is rising (I really don’t know what they use today, I have not set foot in a school room in 45 years). And in small communities like ours, there is not enough tax base to afford it.
I do understand that today, education is far more than the ABC’s, math, and History of the past. And, that kind of curriculum is more expensive to provide.
Now Bodacious and I might not agree on what should be part of that curriculum. But I think we both agree that we must equip children so that they are competent, and can go forth and become a productive part of society. They must be able to reason, and have some sort of creativity in order to survive. (it is creativity that produced everything from literature to integrated circuits)
It is not only the responsibility of the parents to lead by example, that their children to take school seriously. They must demand reasonable expectations from their children in all aspects of civil behaviors. Parents MUST send a child to school ready and willing to take part in the education process. Alas, too many parents don’t even care.
you keep saying parents, too many kids only have one that cares. which is hard for them
I am not going to argue that. Single parents do have a more difficult time.
But it is still up to that parent, to be an example for their children, and to make education their foremost goal.
A single parent MUST also ensure that what has happened between the adults in the children’s lives, remain between those adults. Children should NEVER become pawns, or be involved in what happens between adults. Instead, that Parent should ensure children focus instead on their education.
education we don’t need no stinkin education we are fine being ignorant morons
Well said by a socialist Democrat
Actually a Trump supporter.
No, I am a Democrat. Sorry. I am thinking about voting for Trump the next time though.
First of all, why don’t people PAY to bus their own children? Why is it that elected officials want others to pay for personal items like bussing? The answer is, they are “buying votes” and pandering to the knuckledraggers that don’t want to pay for their free stuff!
Second and just as important, more and more money does not IMPROVE education.
All Ms. Ragan ever does is rag on the taxpayers for more money.
You should be happy to pay for the young to be educated. If there wasn’t public education, then only the rich would be educated which is what Trump wants as does the lap dog deVos.
This is not Cuba, people pay their own way. All they have to do is get off their dead Democrat asses and go to work.
You are right. This is not Cuba. See your public education already paid off. Besides, our founders knew that educated citizenship was necessary if we wanted to thrive. They believed that we must educate our people.
That is not true! The founding fathers did not mandate education to be paid for by the taxpayers.
In fact, the big debate was over the Federal Government SPENDING to much. The misused phrase, “we gave you a government if you can keep it” was made by Benjamin Franklin and when he was asked by a reporter what he meant, and he replied, “We have gave you a Republic and it will last until the people figure out they can vote themselves money.”
Well, you spending liberal fools have sure done that to our country and you believe money will educate your children. I meet many many homeschooled children and grownups that are far better educated than public school kids, and they have respect and manners.
Public education is a joke and they spend too much effort sissifying our boys instead of basic education. Government schools are out of control money isn’t going to correct that!
Thank You
Don’t know where your info comes from but there is this:
https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/founding-fathers-agreed-funding-public-education-is-not-a-debate/article_f05aa5b0-2fed-5c63-be1a-1b013cf49625.html
Here is an excerpt from the article – “The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it,” wrote Adams. “There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves.”
Hard to argue with facts, isn’t it?
This is the stupidest comment ever. Happy to pay for someone else. I work hard for the money I get and I’ll spend in on my own family’s well being thank you!
If I need money for home improvements or something that goes bad such as stove or water heater, I don’t go to my boss and tell him to pay me more since I have more expenses, I cut down on my excess spending and budget for my needs. Hey, schools and educators, listen and learn. It’s really not that difficult.
Have you forgotten that costs increase nearly every year? The number of students doesn’t. nor do the needs of the students. The legislature needs to adequately fund schools. Those who complain so much, need to run for the school board in their community so they can see the problems. It is easy to sit on the outside and complain. Get involved and learn something.
Thanks BoBo, you forgot to mention what amount of school funding is needed for the English as a second language students. Or how much it costs to cover teacher wages, retirements etc. If we don’t take care of our teachers and pay them everything they want, who will be left to spread the radical liberal agendas like you?
PS…the is nothing left to learn, you already know it all.
Cut out sports. This is from an article from 2016. The equipment costs for football. This per player.
Helmet $225 to $350
Shoulder pads $200 to $350
Jersey $80 to $100 each
Pants $65 to $80
Girdle, thigh pads and knee pads $50 to $65
Shoes $70 to $100
Socks $18
Using the low side on all these comes to $708 at a 20 man roster, that’s $14160.
This doesn’t count transportation to and from games, added cost of lighting, any of that.
I wonder what could be saved in other sports?
School is for learning, sports are secondary, if something has to give.
Forgot link to article.
https://www.gadsdentimes.com/news/20160817/cost-of-high-school-football—dollars-must-be-stretched-to-train-equip-feed-teams
A lot of educating goes on in sports teamwork being just one.
Never confuse a retired, Liberal teacher with facts. It just makes their heads explode.
Haven’t seen any facts. All I see is an old man’s ramblings about something he has no idea about how it runs. I also see two reasons we need public education to become more tighten up its standards so people don’t get to graduate because of social promotions.
You know Bo, you have a real complex and probably need some professional help. That wasn’t my comment. (Although I sure do agree with it. Lets do away with teacher pensions and save a ton of money. Let them invest in 401k’s like the rest of the world does.
eLViS, I know you think you are intelligent, and I suppose in some ways you might be, but you know nothing about education other than you feel that they are overpaid. If you are so jealous of their job benefits (which are the same for police, firefighters, emts and the like, then run for office and work toward lowering their pay and benefits. You would probably find out that most Americans agree that teachers are underpaid and under-appreciated.
Both of you should be grateful for teachers because if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be able to post on this site.