Iowa House lawmakers tabled Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to overhaul Iowa’s nine Area Education Agencies following a hearing on the bill Wednesday.
The two Republican lawmakers on the panel said they had to further consider the bill before moving it forward to the House Education Committee.
House Republicans’ icy reception of the governor’s proposal halted the bill for further consideration, while a short time later Iowa Senate Republicans advanced the senate version of the bill with the Governor’s amendment.
The panel’s chair Iowa Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, promised to make changes to the bill as it continues in the legislative process but expressed concern about its current state.
“I’m not fully convinced that the bill that’s in front of us nor the amendments truly get to the heart of the matter,” Evans said. “And I know that there’s some angst about this, but the door is open now for some real substantive change and have some deep discussion not just on AEA services, but our education services in general.”
The earliest the bill could be considered by Senate lawmakers is at the next meeting of the Senate Education Committee, which is not scheduled to meet this week.
To kick off the Senate panel on the bill, Evans said the lawmakers would consider the amended version of the bill proposed by the governor’s office. He then tossed the original version of the bill in the trash bin.
“That’s probably the appropriate place for the original bill,” Evans said after tossing the original bill.
The Democrat on the panel, Iowa Sen, Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, asked Evans to do the same thing with the amended version of the bill during her remarks at the close of the subcommittee hearing.
“I loved your [Evans] dramatic start to this,” Donahue said. “I appreciate your recycling efforts. This amendment is no better and I would love it if you would do it again.”
Iowa Rep. Sharon Sue Steckman, D-Mason City, who sat on the House panel said she wants to see lawmakers slow down and talk to stakeholders about the effects of the bill and to commission a study on AEAs rather than dismantling the longstanding system.
“I would like to see us stop — slow down — take a good look at this bill,” Steckman said. “Because in the long run, whatever we do here is going to affect our children.”
Reynolds’ bill pitches an overhaul of Iowa’s nine AEAs by giving schools funding that traditionally went to AEAs directly to allow them the autonomy to choose to use AEA services, contract privately, or use funds for improvements to their own school district’s special education services.
The bill would also move oversight of AEAs to the Iowa Department of Education and would remove local control of AEAs, instead reorganizing the agencies under the Iowa Department of Education.
Reynolds said she has been focused on improving special education and after hearing feedback from lawmakers, superintendents, and other stakeholders she proposed an amendment to improve the bill.
“From the start, my focus has been on improving special education for Iowa’s students with disabilities,” Reynolds said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. “By allowing schools to control their funding, creating efficiencies in the AEA system, and increasing teacher salaries, more money will be infused into our classrooms, so every student receives the quality education they deserve.
Reynolds did not release a statement regarding the House panel’s decision, and her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lawmakers hear from dozens of parents, school administrators
Betty Wells, a retired Iowa educator, spoke in opposition to the bill. She said moving oversight of the AEAs to Iowa’s Department of Education was “putting all your eggs in one basket.” She pointed to the multiple changes of leadership in the last few years as evidence the department isn’t right for oversight.
“It’s putting the fox in the henhouse,” Wells said. “The [Department of Education] has always had accountability. You have accreditation powers who go in and suggest changes. I believe that the [Department of Education] should fine-tune that and get that working.”
Corey Seymour, the Superintendent of the Clear Creek Amana Community School District based in Tiffin, Iowa, said he was in support of the bill.
Seymour said he thinks schools should be able to control “flow-through dollars,” or money that is subtracted from school state aid and given directly to AEAs for services.
He said the needs of Clear Creek Amana students have changed over the years and new challenges have made it important for autonomy with the funding.
“We have to continue to evolve to support the needs of our school communities,” Seymour said. “Each district is different, and with control of our flow-through funds, we will be able to create an individual education plan for our entire district.”
Mike Beranek, the president of the Iowa State Education Association, the largest teachers union in Iowa, said AEAs have been nationally recognized and Iowa’s Special Education system is top-notch.
“Our AEAs are a vital part of this equation,” Beranek said. “Dismantling the support stream threatens the success of many students. This is not the Iowa way.”