(Des Moines) Getting out a school funding bill will be one of the main items on the docket this week in Des Moines. By-law, the Iowa legislature must pass a school spending Bill 30-days after the session begins in January.
Iowa District 11 Senator Tom Shipley from Nodaway says the Senate drafted a proposed sustainable and reliable funding Bill for K-12 education again this year. He says the Senate’s proposal is $45.2 million in new funding on top of the nearly $3.5 billion spent on K-12 education this past year. The Republican Senator says the proposal navigates school funding’s challenging realities in a pandemic.
Because of the coronavirus, K-12 enrollment decreased by approximately 6,000 students since last year. Senator Shipley says the extra $65 per pupil increase amounts to around $29.4 million. Schools must follow state law as passed last year and this year regarding in-person instruction to receive that money.
The Senate’s proposal also allocates nearly $10 million to address per pupil and transportation inequalities.
