FOR LEWIS CENTRAL THAT MEANS
$670,762.00 IN NEW MONEY
SATURDAY, FEBUARY 9, 2013
WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL 715 N 21st St
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
9:00-10:30 PM
and contact our elected leaders to urge them to pass four percent allowable growth quickly this year!
Here's what you need to know:
On Wednesday, the Iowa Senate passed a package of education funding bills, including four percent Allowable Growth for 2013-2014 (Senate File 52), four percent Categorical Growth (SF 51), and a Property Tax Fund Distribution Bill a.k.a. School Property Taxes (SF 53).
Allowable Growth and the companion Categorical Allowable Growth bill would go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year. The two Allowable Growth bills provide schools with the money they need to employ educators and keep class sizes small. These two bills passed along party lines. Republicans voted against setting Allowable Growth because, like Governor Branstad, they believe the Governor's Education Reform
CLICK READ MORE TO READ ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S PLAN
bill should be passed first. By law, Allowable Growth must be passed no later than March 1 to give schools time to know what their budgets will be for the coming year. Additionally, we have not received an adequate or sustainable amount of Allowable Growth for the past two years, receiving zero percent for the 2011-2012 school year and only two percent for 2012-2013. Considering Iowa also has a more than $800 million budget surplus, we can afford to invest in education. The bill has been sent to the House. We must urge members of the Iowa House to follow the law and pass four percent allowable growth now!
The School Property Tax Bill (SF 53) passed the Senate unanimously. Though this bill does not affect the amount of money that a school district receives, it prevents a property tax increase by having the state fund $16 million of expense that districts typically levy at the local level. Additionally, this bill uses $22 million from the Tax Payer Trust Fund to buy down the tax burden of school districts in low, property-tax valuation areas. The goal is to provide a substantial reduction in property tax rates to those districts and ultimately provide a reduction in property inequity that often plagues some property-poor areas.
The Governor released his Education Reform Proposal January 14, House Study Bill 4 and Senate Study Bill 1058. While the House has already conducted three subcommittees on the proposal, legislators in both chambers are still working their way through the bill. Next Monday, Executive Director Mary Jane Cobb has been invited to address the Senate Education Committee providing input on the bill and to address ISEA priorities for the 2013 session.
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