Education was a priority last week at the Iowa Senate as a subcommittee approved a bill addressing a growing issue in schools as well as the announcement of kindergarten through 12th grade education funding. Senator Mark Segebart says SSB 3080 was the bill that passed through the subcommittee and is aimed at assisting districts in dealing with violent behavior of students. The goal, according to Segebart, is to give districts options for placement of these students in order to keep teachers, staff and other students safe while also ensuring all children receive the education they deserve. Changes made prior to its acceptance included clarifying the intent of the bill and providing more specific allocations of resources for therapeutic classrooms. The education funding bills propose the addition of $7.7 million for transportation equity, $5.8 million for per-pupil funding and $75.7 million for kindergarten through 12th grade education. This will bring total new funding next year to $91.7 million in addition to last year’s level of funding.
