(Des Moines) Iowa House District #23 Representative Ray Sorensen, a Republican from Greenfield, emphasizes that House Republicans are dedicated to supporting Iowa schools while being responsible with taxpayer dollars. Although the Senate and Governor have proposed a 2% increase in State Supplemental Aid (SSA) funding, House Republicans believe they can provide even more support.
The Iowa House is proposing a 2.25% increase in SSA funding, along with a one-time 0.6% additional payment. This plan would add $22.6 million for schools. Combined with the second phase of last session’s teacher salary increase, this proposal results in a total funding boost of $114.5 million for public schools. The Iowa House Proposal also includes an additional $10 per pupil for equity, an increased operational sharing budget for rural schools, and a cap on transportation costs to prevent unfair burdens on districts.
Representative Sorensen points out that this 3.93% funding increase will bring total education funding to nearly $3.94 billion, establishing a new state cost per pupil of $8,039. “We recognize that no single funding approach works for every district, so we are targeting support where it’s needed most,” Sorensen stated.
