Iowa Republicans pass 2nd AEA proposal as coalition of school leaders voice opposition

[cigaretteman]

Statehouse Republicans have approved two different proposals to overhaul the operation and funding of Iowa’s nine Area Education Agencies, which provide special education services and other supports to K-12 schools.



Meantime, separate coalitions of K-12 superintendents reached out to state lawmakers over the weekend to express their respective support for and opposition to the proposals.


Iowa Senate Republicans passed their version of AEA changes Monday at the Iowa Capitol. This proposal is similar to one presented by Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this year, but significantly different from one that Iowa House Republicans passed last month.

Superintendents convey support for, opposition to AEA proposals​

Last weekend, a group of 32 K-12 Iowa superintendents made their feelings on both proposals clear when they emailed all state legislators to express their opposition to the plan.


“Our message is clear: we are deeply concerned about the proposed changes to the AEAs, especially the shift towards a ‘Fee-for-Service’ approach,” states the emailed letter from the superintendents who oppose the plans.




“The value of the AEA system as designed is that it is a cooperative that ensures that every school district, regardless of size or location, has access to the services it needs to serve students,” the letter continues. “Rural school districts, in particular, rely heavily on AEAs for critical support. Disrupting a model that has largely worked over the past 50 years will have grave consequences for the students we serve.”


Another group of 18 superintendents signed a letter to legislators in which they expressed support for the legislative effort to change AEA operations and funding.





“We advocate for AEA reform in this session,” that letter says. “We recognize the valuable role that AEAs play in supporting our schools and educators. Also, as advocates for the well-being of our students, we believe it is essential for educational systems to continually evaluate their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.”

Both bills would create new division for AEA oversight​

Currently, state and federal funding is sent directly to the Area Education Agencies, which provide services to school districts in their region. The AEAs are most prominently used in supporting special education students — those who have an individualized education plan, or IEP. AEAs also provide professional development for teachers, crisis response programs, and media services, among others.


Under the Senate’s bill, which is much closer aligned with Reynolds’ proposal, AEA funding would be transitioned to a fee-for-service model, through which AEAs would provide special education and other services only if requested by a school district. That annual uncertainty, critics of the proposal say, would jeopardize the entire AEA system.


Both proposals create a new AEA oversight division in the Iowa Department of Education.


The House version keeps the current funding structure largely in place; state funding for special education services would go to the school districts, and they would be required to use that funding with the AEAs.

Six Republican senators join Democrats in opposing bill​

Senate Republicans approved their proposal, an amended version of Senate File 2386, on Monday. Only Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while six Senate Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it: Sens. Waylon Brown, Mike Klimesh, Mark Lofgren, Charlie McClintock, Sandy Salmon, and Jeff Taylor.

Iowa Republicans pass 2nd AEA proposal as school leaders voice opposition

Iowa Senate Republicans voted Monday to approve their version of AEA changes, which more closely mirrors a proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds. Now, lawmakers in the Senate and House must agree on which legislation to send to the governor.

www.thegazette.com

 

[cigaretteman]

During Senate debate, Sen. Lynn Evans, a Republican from Aurelia and former teacher, principal and superintendent, said the changes are needed because the U.S. Department of Education has since 2018 categorized Iowa as “needs assistance” under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.


“This bill’s about ensuring that our children with disabilities receive the best possible services in education. The goal is to get the best return on investment for the delivery of special education services to the kids who need them,” Evans said. “This is the right direction to go. We need more local control on how these dollars are spent.”


Senate Democrats proposed pausing the AEA reforms and establishing a task force to spend a year studying the agencies and making recommendations to lawmakers before next year’s legislative session. They criticized Republicans for not listening to the outpouring of educators and parents who have expressed opposition to the AEA proposals, and the process by which the legislation has been proposed and passed.


Democrats pointed to a recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, which showed 56 percent of Iowans have a favorable view of AEAs.


“(Statehouse Republicans) have once again maybe listened, but they did not hear their constituents. Because if they heard their constituents in Iowa, they told them resoundingly to not do anything to this AEA system,” Sen. Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids who has worked for 43 years as a special education teacher, said during debate.


Donahue said she has benefited from AEA services as a special education teacher and as a child, when she spoke with a lisp.


“The fact is, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to anybody at all had I not had those services,” Donahue said.


Reynolds has said the AEA system needs updating and has claimed that Iowa’s special education students are falling behind other states, and although the test scores she has used as an example are also used by the federal government, the company that designs the test has said the scores should not be used to inform policy changes. Reynolds’ administration hired a consultant to review the AEA system and recommend changes, a process that Democrats roundly criticized as biased.


“I want to thank the Senate for their commitment to improving special education and acknowledging that the AEA system needs reform,” Reynolds said in a statement. “I now look forward to working with the House and Senate to reach a compromise that will bring transparency, accountability, and consistency to the AEA system while most importantly improving outcomes for students with disabilities.”


Under the Senate bill, starting in the 2025-2026 school year, 90 percent of the funding for special education would go directly to the school districts, which would be free to use that funding to contract for special education services through an AEA or a private company. The remaining 10 percent would go to the AEAs.


Also under the Senate bill, in the 2024-2025 school year, 60 percent of the funds for media and educational services would go directly to the school districts, which again could use those funds to contract with AEA or a private company. The remaining 40 percent would go to AEAs. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, all media and educational services funding would remain with school districts, and none of it would go to AEAs.

Bill also would address teacher pay​

The Senate bill also proposes raising the minimum salary for new Iowa teachers to $46,251, which they say is the current statewide average for starting teachers’ salaries.


House Republicans addressed teacher and other education staff salaries in a separate bill, and they proposed raising the starting teacher minimum to $50,000 — matching the figure proposed by Reynolds — phased in over two years. House Republicans also proposed dedicating more funding to help schools increase veteran teacher salaries and create a $15 per hour minimum wage for education support staff.


In her statement, Reynolds called for legislation that will increase salaries for both starting and veteran teachers.

What’s next for bill?​

House Republicans passed their AEA bill, House File 2612, on Feb. 29 with a 53-41 vote. Only Republicans supported the bill, and nine Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.


With both Republican-led chambers having approved their respective AEA bills, leaders from each chamber and Reynolds will need to reach an agreement on a proposal that can pass both chambers and be signed into law by Reynolds.