(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans have introduced legislation that would increase state spending on public K-through-12 schools by two-and-a-half percent. That’s slightly more than Republicans in the Senate have proposed. “We’re in line, obviously, with the governor’s number, so I don’t think we’re out on an island.” That’s House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford. Governor Reynolds has proposed that public schools, community colleges and the three state universities all get a two-and-a-half percent boost in state support for the coming academic year.

Grassley says House Republicans are introducing a separate bill that would provide an additional 19-million dollars to Iowa’s school districts. “With the expectation of that being used on support staff, with these increased costs that we’re seeing because of inflation,” Grassley says. That bill stipulates that school districts would only be able to use that extra money to cover pay for substitute teachers, bus drivers and other staff brought into schools to cover worker shortages.

Democrats in the legislature have proposed a five percent increase in per pupil state spending on schools.