(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s public K-through-12 schools will get a two percent increase in general state support — so that total state spending on each student will be over 81-hundred dollars next year. Republicans in the Iowa House approved the plan late last week and on Monday Senate Republicans voted to send it to the governor. Republican Senator Lynn Evans, a retired superintendent from Aurelia, says there are bookkeeping changes, too, like updating October’s enrollment count in January and sending school districts state funding in quarterly rather than monthly installments.

“Quarterly payments will address a school district who face cash flow problems or issues in July and August,” Evans said. “This will provide a summer payment and reduce administrative costs.” The decision also means every state-funded Education Savings Account for a private school student will get over 81-hundred dollars for the next school year. Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says Iowa’s public schools need far more than a two percent state funding increase and school boards will be forced to cut programs.

“Somehow when it comes to private schools, the checkbook is open,” Donahue said, “but when it comes to the public schools — the backbone of the rural Iowa small towns and cities, suddenly we are told to ‘tighten the belts.'” Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says local public schools are struggling, cutting staff and programs — and some may be forced to consolidate.”We are already beginning to see from local school district decisions just exactly what the damage could be of falling short,” Quirmbach said.

The deal includes a commitment to spend seven MILLION dollars raising the pay of teachers’ aides, plus money to help school districts that spend more than the statewide average on busing students to and from school. House Speaker Pat Grassley says those were items House Republicans pushed for. “What we’ve been hearing from our schools is: ‘Get us the money. Get this locked in. We’re coming up on budget time,'” Grassley said. “That’s why we made this deal right now to get this done and then give the certainty to our schools.”

School boards must negotiate pay with staff, hold public hearings and file a final budget plan by April 30th — for the fiscal year that starts July 1st.