The Iowa House passes a bill authorizing a massive pay increase for teachers, and support staff

[lucas80]

The bill if passed by the Senate would create a floor of $50,000 for new teachers. This has been a priority for Kim Reynolds as she feels the pressure from rural districts struggling to hire and retain teachers.
https://www.kcrg.com/2024/03/08/iowa-house-passes-largest-teacher-pay-increase-state-history/

 

[Bonerfarts]

The bill if passed by the Senate would create a floor of $50,000 for new teachers. This has been a priority for Kim Reynolds as she feels the pressure from rural districts struggling to hire and retain teachers.
https://www.kcrg.com/2024/03/08/iowa-house-passes-largest-teacher-pay-increase-state-history/

Great, where is this money going to come from when funds are being sent to the private catholic schools?

 

[theiacowtipper]

They key is if the state will supply the money or if it will be a repeat of the back the blue bill. Something where they told counties to raise the sheriff pay but took away any ability to raise money to pay it.

 

[lucas80]

They key is if the state will supply the money or if it will be a repeat of the back the blue bill. Something where they told counties to raise the sheriff pay but took away any ability to raise money to pay it.

Details, details.
A lot of the school districts in rural Iowa are severely stressed, so funding will need to be addressed.
Or, not. Kind of like our last tax cut that hurt local governments.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

compression... what are you going to pay the 10 year teacher that just got to $50K?

 

[LuteHawk]

Ultimately, the state of Iowa will need Salary Guidelines
for both entry level teachers and those who have 10 years
experience, 15 yrs, 20 yrs, 25 yrs etc.

The question is would those Salary Guidelines be mandatory
for all teachers with various years of experience at the school.
Funding for this endeavor needs to be addressed for all school
districts in Iowa.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

compression... what are you going to pay the 10 year teacher that just got to $50K?

$50k, don’t worry we will help that new teacher pay off his/her student loans the the 10 year teacher already paid off as well.
No one cares about the people that have been in the workforce for 10-20 years already.

 

[SSG T]

They key is if the state will supply the money or if it will be a repeat of the back the blue bill. Something where they told counties to raise the sheriff pay but took away any ability to raise money to pay it.

Yeah, if the state doesn't fund it, our district is f***ed. Starting pay is currently a bit under $40k. Heck, even bigger districts will be screwed. My son/DiL work at a central Iowa 3A school, they started at around $44k, but are frozen until year 3, unless they get graduate degrees before then.

Without state funding, this will kill rural schools

 

[SSG T]

compression... what are you going to pay the 10 year teacher that just got to $50K?

I follow someone on TikTok that makes videos on the pay scales around the country. I believe it was a district in NC that has a pay scale that increases by something like $50 per year. Yes, fifty dollars per year. A 20 year teacher is making almost $1k more than a first year teacher.

I don't know of any in Iowa that bad, but I do know there are districts in Iowa paying the teachers nearing retirement like $10k more than 1st/2nd year teachers.

 

[lucas80]

Yeah, if the state doesn't fund it, our district is f***ed. Starting pay is currently a bit under $40k. Heck, even bigger districts will be screwed. My son/DiL work at a central Iowa 3A school, they started at around $44k, but are frozen until year 3, unless they get graduate degrees before then.

Without state funding, this will kill rural schools

I think teacher pay has to go up, but there doesn't seem to be a mechanism for urban or rural. The difference doesn't need to be large, but the cost of living in Louisa County or Ringgold County cannot be on pace with Johnson, Polk, Linn...

 

[SSG T]

I think teacher pay has to go up, but there doesn't seem to be a mechanism for urban or rural. The difference doesn't need to be large, but the cost of living in Louisa County or Ringgold County cannot be on pace with Johnson, Polk, Linn...

Just a note, my son's district is in the DSM metro. So is ours. Metro area isn't all 3A/4A schools.

Ex, our house is probably borderline upper 1/3 value in our town, at assessed $380k. Even median is $200k or so. But wanting to live in the district, Making $42k each (with 5-6 years exp) and trying to buy even a crappy house in town would be nearly impossible.

I'm not saying small town teachers need to make what someone at Ankeny/Waukee/Johnson make, but starting at $36-$38k isn't enough. And a place like suburban 4A schools should be higher than $50k.

 

[MitchLL]

This is part of the reason Dim Kim is trying to steal $$$ from AEA.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Iowa has to many small schools.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Iowa has to nany small schools.

Explain how you would reduce costs by bussing them all to metro areas at $5-6 a mile.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Explain how you would reduce costs by bussing them all to metro areas at $5-6 a mile.

Concrete is more. Admin cost is more. You can share supers but not principals. Special ed suffers.

Indiana went to countywide. The iowa model doesn't work well.

 

[CharYoteHawk]

compression... what are you going to pay the 10 year teacher that just got to $50K?

Many in this thread are evidently not familiar with how school districts scale teacher pay.

 

[LunchBox50]

Iowa has to many small schools.

So you want to close a bunch of rural schools? Go to a county-consolidated situation and have districts like Pocahontas County CSD or Ida County Central?

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

So you want to close a bunch of rural schools? Go to a county-consolidated situation and have districts like Pocahontas County CSD or Ida County Central?

Get over it. Iowa small towns are largely shrinking.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Concrete is more. Admin cost is more. You can share supers but not principals. Special ed suffers.

Indiana went to countywide. The iowa model doesn't work well.

I’d agree supts can be shared
I’m not sure which side you’re taking here

 

[SSG T]

Iowa has to many small schools.

I don't disagree. But, putting every district smaller than 500 students out of business because they don't have the tax base to meet the idiotic un(der)funded requirements our moronic statehouse puts on them (while also funneling public money to private schools), isn't exactly the best thing for education in the state.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

I don't disagree. But, putting every district smaller than 500 students out of business because they don't have the tax base to meet the idiotic un(der)funded requirements our moronic statehouse puts on them (while also funneling public money to private schools), isn't exactly the best thing for education in the state.

its complex for sure.

 

[lucas80]

I think it would be helpful to look at more scholarships and tuition reimbursements for teachers from Iowa who remain in Iowa. That seems pretty sensible and would have a large impact.