Legislators in our area, District 12 Representative Brian Best and District 6 Senator Mark Segebart, addressed the Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Board of Education at their most recent meeting to update them on what legislation to expect in the coming session. Segebart identified transportation as a significant cost for many rural districts, and he says one bill in the works will hopefully be signed by the governor this session.
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Segebart says he hopes those issues will be resolved, but early signs say they may still have budget shortfalls.
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Districts in Iowa receive funding from the state government called Supplemental State Aid (SSA) that is based on factors like student population, operational sharing and many more. Best says that budget shortfall is affecting a lot of schools, primarily through their cost per pupil.
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One board member, Jon Sampson, asked the legislators what the chances were that SSA would be at zero percent growth. Best answered by saying schools will be first in line to receive funding.
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The Revenue Estimating Committee (REC) meets again in December. Segebart and Best both indicated they would have a better idea for what school funding might look like when that report is completed.