Iowa’s Area Education Agencies, which provide support services including special education to K-12 schools, are staffed 12% lower for the new school year than they were last year, according to information collected from AEAs by statehouse Democrats.
There are 429 fewer employees across the state’s nine AEAs for the 2024-2025 school year than there were in 2023-2024, according to information the Democrats released Thursday.
The new school year, which started Aug. 23 for most schools, is the first under a new state law — proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and approved by Republican state lawmakers — that significantly altered AEA operations and funding.
“Four hundred twenty-nine fewer staffers in the AEAs means that there are 429 fewer professionals on the ground providing vital services for kids in our public schools,” Iowa Rep. Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, said Thursday during a virtual news conference. “These are kids across the board who will be losing services, as well as our kids with special education needs.”
Under the new law, special education oversight was moved from the AEAs to a new division of the Iowa Department of Education. Of the six regional leadership hires announced by the state earlier this month, five were former AEA employees.
The new law also created a new funding system that critics say will cause uncertainty for school districts and AEAs and force the AEAs to reduce the services they offer.
Before the law change, funding for AEA services went directly to the AEAs. Once the new law is fully implemented in its second year, 10% of state funding for special education services will remain with school districts for them to use, while 90% will continue to flow directly to the AEAs; and all state funding for other education services and media services will go directly to schools — which could use that money for AEA services or to get them from another entity.
Reynolds said the changes were needed to create an AEA system with more transparency, accountability and consistency, and to direct more funding directly to schools.
Reynolds was in northwest Iowa on Thursday announcing the opening of a temporary school in Rock Valley, which was devastated by flooding earlier this year. In a statement sent through her office spokesman, Reynolds accused Democrats of “looking backward,” “telling Iowans half-truths,” and “stoking fear.”
Reynolds’ statement said no funding has been cut for special education or other educational services, that more funding is being sent directly to school districts instead of AEAs.
Critics of the law have said that when all funding went directly to the AEAs, the agencies were able to create a diverse menu of services to offer to districts. Their concern is that once districts under the new law pay for only some of those services, it will force the AEAs to reduce or stop offering some.
“Some schools have hired former AEA employees, while others have chosen to continue to work with AEAs,” Reynolds said in her statement. “As schools decide how to best use their resources to serve their students with special needs, resources will naturally shift. That is the intent — to strengthen the education experience for all students, including students receiving special education services.”
That is a 16%t reduction in workforce, which is the second-largest drop in the state. The Prairie Lakes AEA in Pocahontas in northwest Iowa saw a staff reduction of 18 percent, according to AEA data distributed by Democrats.
The information from AEAs did not delineate how many AEA employees left voluntarily, Democrats said.
The Gazette previously reported that at the Grant Wood AEA, about 100 of the 520 employees left voluntarily after the new state law passed. Of those, 56 were from special education and 25 were from media services; 20 were retirements. The organization, earlier this month, reported hiring 15 people to staff its special education services, still leaving it short-staffed.
Democrats also expressed concern that the changes to AEA funding and operations will disproportionately harm rural school districts.
Two rural Linn County school districts are cutting back on services they receive from the Grant Wood AEA, and yet their share of the cost this school year is going up roughly 30%. Meantime, costs to the Cedar Rapids Community School District — the second largest in the state — will go down by as much as $1 million while the district maintains the same level of services.
Leisa Breitfelder, the shared superintendent of North Linn and Central City school districts, told The Gazette the districts have had to let go of the Grant Wood AEA services that support the implementation of their social studies and science curriculum and social and emotional learning, and that other services like literacy, math and early childhood consultants are greatly diminished.
“These stories are going to continue to pour in, and we’re going to hear more about these impacts,” James said. “But it’s inevitable, right? When you have 429 fewer staff providing vital services to our kids, especially in the rural parts of our state, there’s grave implications, and that information will continue to roll in.”
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There are 429 fewer employees across the state’s nine AEAs for the 2024-2025 school year than there were in 2023-2024, according to information the Democrats released Thursday.
The new school year, which started Aug. 23 for most schools, is the first under a new state law — proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and approved by Republican state lawmakers — that significantly altered AEA operations and funding.
“Four hundred twenty-nine fewer staffers in the AEAs means that there are 429 fewer professionals on the ground providing vital services for kids in our public schools,” Iowa Rep. Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, said Thursday during a virtual news conference. “These are kids across the board who will be losing services, as well as our kids with special education needs.”
Under the new law, special education oversight was moved from the AEAs to a new division of the Iowa Department of Education. Of the six regional leadership hires announced by the state earlier this month, five were former AEA employees.
The new law also created a new funding system that critics say will cause uncertainty for school districts and AEAs and force the AEAs to reduce the services they offer.
Before the law change, funding for AEA services went directly to the AEAs. Once the new law is fully implemented in its second year, 10% of state funding for special education services will remain with school districts for them to use, while 90% will continue to flow directly to the AEAs; and all state funding for other education services and media services will go directly to schools — which could use that money for AEA services or to get them from another entity.
Reynolds said the changes were needed to create an AEA system with more transparency, accountability and consistency, and to direct more funding directly to schools.
Reynolds was in northwest Iowa on Thursday announcing the opening of a temporary school in Rock Valley, which was devastated by flooding earlier this year. In a statement sent through her office spokesman, Reynolds accused Democrats of “looking backward,” “telling Iowans half-truths,” and “stoking fear.”
Reynolds’ statement said no funding has been cut for special education or other educational services, that more funding is being sent directly to school districts instead of AEAs.
Critics of the law have said that when all funding went directly to the AEAs, the agencies were able to create a diverse menu of services to offer to districts. Their concern is that once districts under the new law pay for only some of those services, it will force the AEAs to reduce or stop offering some.
“Some schools have hired former AEA employees, while others have chosen to continue to work with AEAs,” Reynolds said in her statement. “As schools decide how to best use their resources to serve their students with special needs, resources will naturally shift. That is the intent — to strengthen the education experience for all students, including students receiving special education services.”
Grant Wood AEA lost the most employees
The Grant Wood AEA in Cedar Rapids saw the largest reduction in workforce from last school year to this year, according to the data distributed Thursday by Democrats: it has 84 fewer employees for 2024-2025 than it did last year.That is a 16%t reduction in workforce, which is the second-largest drop in the state. The Prairie Lakes AEA in Pocahontas in northwest Iowa saw a staff reduction of 18 percent, according to AEA data distributed by Democrats.
The information from AEAs did not delineate how many AEA employees left voluntarily, Democrats said.
The Gazette previously reported that at the Grant Wood AEA, about 100 of the 520 employees left voluntarily after the new state law passed. Of those, 56 were from special education and 25 were from media services; 20 were retirements. The organization, earlier this month, reported hiring 15 people to staff its special education services, still leaving it short-staffed.
Democrats also expressed concern that the changes to AEA funding and operations will disproportionately harm rural school districts.
Two rural Linn County school districts are cutting back on services they receive from the Grant Wood AEA, and yet their share of the cost this school year is going up roughly 30%. Meantime, costs to the Cedar Rapids Community School District — the second largest in the state — will go down by as much as $1 million while the district maintains the same level of services.
Leisa Breitfelder, the shared superintendent of North Linn and Central City school districts, told The Gazette the districts have had to let go of the Grant Wood AEA services that support the implementation of their social studies and science curriculum and social and emotional learning, and that other services like literacy, math and early childhood consultants are greatly diminished.
“These stories are going to continue to pour in, and we’re going to hear more about these impacts,” James said. “But it’s inevitable, right? When you have 429 fewer staff providing vital services to our kids, especially in the rural parts of our state, there’s grave implications, and that information will continue to roll in.”
AEA staff levels down 12% in new school year; Democrats say services will suffer
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are staffed 12% lower for the new school year than they were last year, according to information collected from AEAs by statehouse Democrats.
