Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Pending bill would make salary funding permanent


A bill to roll funding for four important categorical programs -- teacher salaries, class size reduction, Phase II, and professional development -- into the school aid formula has passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House. Now known as SF 2329, the bill is critical in order to preserve these programs and to provide growth to keep pace with inflation. The teacher salary appropriation, for example, has only been set through the 2008-09 school year. Unless SF 2329 is approved, funding to maintain the salary increases will have to be approved each year. But as Iowa educators have learned the hard way, annual appropriations can be easy targets for the budget axe during economic downturns. Stay in the loop by reading our online legislative updates; or better yet, subscribe to the ISEA Hotline e-newsletter and get up-to-date news and information delivered right to your e-mail inbox.