(Des Moines) Iowa House District 18 Representative Tom Moore says HSB542 is the Area Education Agency reform bill that has garnered much attention since it was announced in the Governor’s Condition of the State address.
Moore says the bill is NOT being fast-tracked and will take much work before it is finalized. He said many constituents gave him feedback and concerns over the bill’s original draft. Moore says he is engaging in conversations on how they can make this bill better. Moore says the Governor is already introducing an amendment after hearing from Iowans and legislators.
Despite Iowa spending over $5,300 more per pupil on special education funding than the national average, Iowa ranked 30th or worse in 9 of the 12 national assessments on special education performance. Spring 2023 state assessment results show a 41% proficiency gap for students with disabilities compared to overall student results. The United States Department of Education has recognized this problem and designated Iowa as “needs assistance” for implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act since 2018. If Iowa doesn’t act, the Feds could determine our course of action. This fall, in-person monitoring from the U.S. Department of Education begins.
Moore says it is worth noting that Iowa is the only state requiring school districts to send money straight to the AEAs whether they are utilizing their services. It has been 50 years since AEAs were created to support students with disabilities, and they are now out of touch. They employ six times more staff than the Department of Education while owning/leasing 54 properties. Their annual budget is $529M; there are nine AEA regions with their Chiefs receiving an average salary of $309,667. Furthermore, only 62.8% of AEA funds are focused on special education.
Tom Moore says he has no intention of voting for a proposal that would leave school districts high and dry without the essential services currently being provided by AEA. Representative Moore says he will continue to work on this bill to determine how to improve special education outcomes best.
