A bill moving through the state legislature would provide some budget stability to public school districts in areas hit by last year’s devastating tornadoes and historic flooding. General state spending is distributed on a per pupil basis. If the bill becomes law, a district with declining enrollment before a disaster and even more student exits afterwards would get the same level of per pupil funding for the next academic year.
Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for Rural School Advocates of Iowa, says the proposal makes good sense. “One of the reasons why this is important is when you have a natural disaster you can have a temporary decline in enrollment that comes back once housing is restored and jobs open back up again,” Buckton says, “so this would allow that budget guarantee of the higher amount to continue to the next year and hopefully those families come back.”
Michelle Johnson is a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards. “We think it’s pretty simple,” she says, “and it’s good for districts that have experienced a natural disaster.”
Senator Lynn Evans, a retired superintendent from Aurelia, says Iowa law allows school districts in these kinds of predicaments petition the School Budget Review Committee, but the bill clarifies the process. “Moving forward, knowing that Iowa’s had tornadoes and flooding for as long as we’ve been around, that’s not going to change,” Evans says, “we can make the process a little easier.” Evans is chairman of the Senate Education Committee. The proposal cleared a House subcommittee this week.
(This story courtesy of our media partner O.Kay Henderson at Radio Iowa)