State funding to leave Decorah Schools "woefully short" of funds

The Iowa Legislature has given approval for an approximate 1.1 percent funding increase, or about $40 million, for public education. Governor Branstad, who advocated for a 2 percent increase, is expected to sign the bill.

Superintendent of Decorah Community Schools Mike Haluska said " the 1 percent budget increase will leave us woefully short of funds." The 2.63 percent package increase offered to the Decorah Education Association would only keep staff on the existing salary schedule track, with no increase to the base salary for teachers. If classified staff and administration were given the same 2.63 percent package, and IF there are no insurance increases, that would take about $365,000. "The 1 percent increase would yield about $91,625, so clearly we'll have budget issues to address." Haluska has not yet suggested where the budget cuts might be made.

While legislators state that they have only so much money to work with (and other state programs have experienced massive cuts), DEA chief negotiator Steve Peterson offers another perspective. He says this comes at a time of an expanding Iowa economy, but still the revenues are short because of the legislature giving priority to tax cuts over the services (in this, case education) that are needed.

According to the Des Moines Register, Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls and House Education Committee chair said the focus now "will be on giving school districts greater flexibility by removing restrictions on how they can use their available funding."  He also alluded to a broader focus in the coming weeks as legislators look at non-public school options; he and others have advocated for education savings accounts, which would allow state per-pupil funding to be used for private tuition or home school costs."

What many do not recognize is that such proposals could seriously gut the per pupil funding to public school districts, putting them in further financial woes. Related to that, many per pupil dollars are already flowing out of state to support online public education, while costing the districts where the students originate.