Potential Budget Boost For Iowa School Districts In Disaster Zones

Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — A bill moving through the state legislature would provide some budget stability to public school districts in areas hit by last year’s devastating tornadoes and historic flooding.

General state spending is distributed on a per-pupil basis. If the bill becomes law, a district with declining enrollment before a disaster and even more student exits afterward would get the same level of per-pupil funding for the next academic year. Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for Rural School Advocates of Iowa, says the proposal makes good sense.

Michelle Johnson is a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards.

Senator Lynn Evans, a retired superintendent from Aurelia, says Iowa law allows school districts in these kind of predicaments to petition the School Budget Review Committee, but the bill clarifies the process.

Evans is chairman of the Senate Education Committee. The proposal cleared a House subcommittee this week.

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