Sine Die is the Latin phrase meaning 'to adjourn an assembly for an indefinite period'. Frankly, it is a date that we have looked forward to from the moment the legislature graveled in this past January. That is partially because we spend about as much time advocating for new legislation as we do trying to prevent bad ideas from becoming law! There was plenty of both this year. This first session of the 88th general assembly adjourned 'Sine Die' this past Saturday, April 27th. They were actually able to complete their work a bit early, since the legislators' per diem wasn't scheduled to run out until May 3rd. Nonetheless, as far as legislative sessions go, this one was relatively pain free and productive. Last July, our Board of Directors identified 4 priority areas in which to focus their advocacy efforts. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we can take stock of how our efforts fared.
Topping the list was the repeal of the 2029 sunset on the statewide penny. You have all heard me talk about the importance of extending SAVE beyond 2029 for the last couple of years, so this all should sound familiar. The SAVE is critically important for school districts because it provides a dedicated funding stream to address facility and infrastructure needs. Whether a district has stable, decreasing, or increasing enrollment; all have infrastructure that needs to be addressed. Absent this revenue source, schools are limited in their ability to repair, build, or renovate schools. Usually the only option is to pass a bond issue, which is often easier said than done. Hudson schools are a great example of a community that has leveraged SAVE in a way that will pay dividends for future generations of students, particularly since our district is poised for growth. Phase III, currently under construction wouldn't be possible without SAVE funds. Further, we know that right around the corner another project will be waiting. Just like a homeowner, our work will never be done. Fortunately this year the sunset was lifted and SAVE was extended to 2051.
A close second in terms of priorities of the board was to ensure a timely and adequate funding package for K-12 education. The final decision on this came on February 13th when the legislature boosted base funding for schools by 2.06%. The term 'adequate' is most certainly subjective and depends on where you live in the state and what your enrollment is doing. Certainly we would have welcomed (and did) advocate for a greater amount, but we'll take it! For Hudson, this meant a boost in base funding of $188,647. This early decision enabled us to move quickly in setting the FY 2020 budget, finishing our contract negotiations with teachers relatively quickly, and getting our faculty and staff in place for 2019-2020. We'll take more of that next year please!
As I stated above, part of our advocacy efforts include preventing bad ideas from becoming law, which is what our third priority focused on: ensuring any choice legislation remains under the sole authority of the school board. The point we are making here, and will continue to make is that any type of funding program that siphons money away from public schools will be resisted. Again this year we saw proposals from both the House and Senate that would institute voucher programs. Fortunately they lack support at this time in both chambers to advance. That doesn't mean they won't be back again next year to take another run at it, because they most certainly will. We will just have to remain vigilant as far as this effort is concerned.
Rounding out our top four is advocacy to increase the current funding for preschools students from .5 to 1.0. Many preschools in Iowa operate half day programs, which is what we operate here in Hudson. Although a relative newcomer to the statewide voluntary preschool program, we certainly can see the value in a full day option, which would be feasible if the funding level was increased for this program. There is no doubt this would be a very heavy legislative lift! If you noticed, it would require a doubling of the funding level for preschool programming. Believe me, we are not wearing rose colored glasses so have a full understanding of the challenges with this proposal. Nevertheless, we do take note preschool funding is getting some positive attention. A proposal to provide funding for five year old students did gain some traction, but unfortunately the legislature simply ran out of time. Basically what this would have done is address a 'gap year' that sometimes happens when a four year old attends preschool for one year but isn't quite ready for kindergarten yet. The way it works now is that those students can attend preschool a second year, but have to pay tuition. I anticipate this will come up again next session and stands a fair chance of gaining approval.
In the final analysis, K-12 public schools fared well. While we certainly didn't get everything accomplished we had hoped for and had to make some concessions and compromises on some issues, we definitely moved efforts forward. We can breathe easy for now: the next session is eight months away!
A close second in terms of priorities of the board was to ensure a timely and adequate funding package for K-12 education. The final decision on this came on February 13th when the legislature boosted base funding for schools by 2.06%. The term 'adequate' is most certainly subjective and depends on where you live in the state and what your enrollment is doing. Certainly we would have welcomed (and did) advocate for a greater amount, but we'll take it! For Hudson, this meant a boost in base funding of $188,647. This early decision enabled us to move quickly in setting the FY 2020 budget, finishing our contract negotiations with teachers relatively quickly, and getting our faculty and staff in place for 2019-2020. We'll take more of that next year please!
As I stated above, part of our advocacy efforts include preventing bad ideas from becoming law, which is what our third priority focused on: ensuring any choice legislation remains under the sole authority of the school board. The point we are making here, and will continue to make is that any type of funding program that siphons money away from public schools will be resisted. Again this year we saw proposals from both the House and Senate that would institute voucher programs. Fortunately they lack support at this time in both chambers to advance. That doesn't mean they won't be back again next year to take another run at it, because they most certainly will. We will just have to remain vigilant as far as this effort is concerned.
Rounding out our top four is advocacy to increase the current funding for preschools students from .5 to 1.0. Many preschools in Iowa operate half day programs, which is what we operate here in Hudson. Although a relative newcomer to the statewide voluntary preschool program, we certainly can see the value in a full day option, which would be feasible if the funding level was increased for this program. There is no doubt this would be a very heavy legislative lift! If you noticed, it would require a doubling of the funding level for preschool programming. Believe me, we are not wearing rose colored glasses so have a full understanding of the challenges with this proposal. Nevertheless, we do take note preschool funding is getting some positive attention. A proposal to provide funding for five year old students did gain some traction, but unfortunately the legislature simply ran out of time. Basically what this would have done is address a 'gap year' that sometimes happens when a four year old attends preschool for one year but isn't quite ready for kindergarten yet. The way it works now is that those students can attend preschool a second year, but have to pay tuition. I anticipate this will come up again next session and stands a fair chance of gaining approval.
In the final analysis, K-12 public schools fared well. While we certainly didn't get everything accomplished we had hoped for and had to make some concessions and compromises on some issues, we definitely moved efforts forward. We can breathe easy for now: the next session is eight months away!
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