DES MOINES – Reforms to Area Education Agencies (AEAs) and other education reforms are closer to reality after the Iowa House passed a bill dealing with thee hot-button items.
As the House bill advances Thursday night and goes back to the Senate for further consideration, Governor Kim Reynolds issued the following statement after the Iowa House passed HF 2612, a bill which reforms Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA) to improve special education outcomes, and raises teacher salaries for new and experienced teachers:
“Today’s vote by the House paves a path forward to further strengthen Iowa’s education system in meaningful ways. Every student deserves a quality education that helps them reach their potential. By reforming the AEA system, empowering school districts, and improving oversight and transparency, we are committing to better outcomes and brighter futures for Iowa’s students with disabilities. They deserve nothing less.
“Equally important is ensuring our ability to attract and retain talented teachers for schools across our state. Raising minimum salaries for new and experienced teachers sends a strong message that Iowans value education and those who dedicate their careers to serving students.
“I want to thank Speaker Grassley, the House education committee, and legislative members who remained committed to the intent of this bill and to working together to reach a compromise that honors it.”
Meanwhile, helpless Iowa Democrats can only protest as the GOP-dominated Legislature work over education in the Hawkeye state.
“Republicans continue to ignore pleas from Iowans, move forward with unpopular AEA reforms,” Democrats said in a statement Thursday night. They continued:
Mason City’s Rep. Sharon Steckman, a major supporter of education and teachers, said Thursday, “Debating the AEA bill… a 49 page amendment that no one saw until 50 minutes before debate.”
Iowa Republicans are moving forward with dismantling Iowa AEAs while ignoring pleas from constituents to protect them. Iowa’s students who need extra assistance are the ones who will be hurt the most.
In passing this bill, Iowa Republicans blatantly disregarded the thousands of Iowans who signed a petition to stop AEA cuts, the hundreds of letters that have been sent to local newspapers, and even reputable polling on the bill which showed that the vast majority of Iowans want to protect AEAs — not dismantle them.
“I try my best to find the positive in every situation that we face — but it’s hard to find the positive in the long-range effects of this legislation to make cuts to Iowa’s AEAs. It’s no wonder that a majority of Iowans now think our state is headed in the wrong direction, and today serves as a reminder that we have to bring change to Iowa,” said IDP Chair Rita Hart. “I’m determined to make sure that these Republican legislators who have blatantly ignored the voices of the Iowans they were elected to represent get a wake-up call on November 5th.”
To add salt to the wound, Iowa House Republicans used a “time certain” motion to place a time limit on debate on the AEA bill. Republicans use this tactic to silence the voices of those who may oppose their most extreme pieces of legislation.
Republican legislators had the gall to say they were passing the bill out of support for the betterment of Iowa public education. This is a farce. If Iowa Republicans were passing this legislation in good faith toward public schools, they would have focused on giving Iowa school districts the information they need to be able to budget for the coming school year instead of missing the deadline more than a week ago, leaving school districts flying blind.
Republicans left school districts in the dark on how much money they’ll have next year.
Republicans put guns in our schools just months after a tragic mass shooting in Perry.
Republicans led rural Iowa straight into a Republican-backed mental health crisis.
Now, they are dismantling the agency that schools rely on for special education.
The evidence from this year’s legislative session is more than clear: Iowa Republicans are not in the business of helping public schools. Iowa Democrats are. Iowa voters will remember that this coming November.
“Today’s vote by the House paves a path forward to further strengthen Iowa’s education system in meaningful ways. Every student deserves a quality education that helps them reach their potential. By reforming the AEA system, empowering school districts, and improving oversight and transparency, we are committing to better outcomes and brighter futures for Iowa’s students with disabilities. They deserve nothing less.
