Ongoing discussions about changing Iowa’s Area Education Agencies have put many other budget, tax and policy conversations on hold. But that could change soon.
House passes amended AEA plan, sends to Senate
On Thursday evening, the Iowa House passed an amended bill that would change the state’s Area Education Agencies, raise teacher pay and set per-student K-12 education funding for the next school year.
The bill would require schools to get most special education services through the AEAs. Under the bill, school districts could spend 10% of their special education funding on other providers if they want — a shift from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ initial request that schools be able to spend 100% of their special education on non-AEA providers.
The package also includes a 2.5% increase in base, per-student K-12 education funding, matching what Reynolds had proposed at the start of the session. It would also increase the minimum starting teacher salary to $50,000, raise the minimum for teachers with 12 years of experience to $62,000 and add money to raise the wages of other school employees, including paraprofessionals.
The bill received 51 votes, just enough to pass in the House. Nine Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the measure.
Senate leaders haven’t publicly committed to passing the House version of an AEA overhaul. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says Senate Republicans will discuss the package this week and that he’s looking forward to a resolution on these issues.
Legislature passes bill to allow arrest, deportation of undocumented immigrants
The bill, now awaiting Reynolds’ signature, would let state and local police arrest undocumented immigrants who have been denied entry to the U.S. and let state courts order them to return to the country they entered from, which is very similar to a law that passed in Texas.
The Texas law has been contested in recent weeks. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect about two hours before the vote in the Iowa Legislature. Just a few hours after that, a federal appeals court blocked the law.
Reynolds says she intends to sign the law, which could go into effect as soon as July 1, but it is very likely to face a court challenge. Courts have previously found that the federal government, not individual states, has the power to make and enforce immigration laws
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