(Des Moines, Iowa) Senate Republicans announced Tuesday they plan to support the governor’s proposal of a 2% increase in per-pupil funding for the state’s public school system.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the proposed increase matches the recommendation put forward by Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier in January of a $235 million increase for State Supplemental Aid (SSA), the per-pupil state funding for Iowa’s K-12 schools. It’s a slightly lower SSA rate than previous years — last year, lawmakers passed a 2.5% SSA increase as part of a larger package making changes to the state’s Area Education Agencies and raising teacher pay. But Senate Republicans said the measure provides stable funding for the state’s education system

“Senate Republicans announced a reliable funding level for Iowa students, just as we have every year we have been in the majority,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said in a news release. “Iowans have continually supported our position of consistent increases in education funding. Today, we will begin again to keep our promise to provide timely increases with the goal of improving student achievement and making Iowa schools the best in the country.”

The timeliness of school funding was an issue in 2024. While the Legislature has a self-imposed deadline to pass the per-pupil state aid for schools within 30 days of the governor’s budget being released, the funding rate was not finalized until late March during the previous session. Though there is no penalty for lawmakers missing the 30-day deadline, the delay made budgeting difficult for school districts across the state, according to education advocates.

House lawmakers have not yet released an SSA bill. Though the Senate funding bill, Senate Study Bill 1053, is coming within the required timeframe this year, organizations like the Iowa State Education Association said a 2% increase falls short of funding requirements at Iowa’s schools.

ISEA President Joshua Brown said in a statement Tuesday that the organization is recommending a minimum 5% increase in funding. “Setting funding any less than that jeopardizes growth and opportunity in our public schools for more than 90 percent of the students in our state,” Brown said. “We look forward to working with Iowa legislators on finding the right solution.”

But Republicans like Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, said the $235 million increase in spending — and total allocation of $4.2 billion in state funding for K-12 students in the state in fiscal year 2026 — shows “the commitment of Senate Republicans to improving education.”

“It is a sustainable increase, focused on getting more money into the classroom, and it is proposed on time so schools can make informed decisions about their budget for next year,” Evans said.

Senators will meet in a subcommittee meeting Jan. 30 to discuss the funding proposal.

DES MOINES, IOWA—Atlantic FFA Advisor/AHS Ag Instructor Eric Miller reports FFA members from across Iowa converged on the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism.

More than 700 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 120 schools visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on January 22nd. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship. This was all part of the 40th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol. Atlantic FFA President Lola Comes said, The Atlantic FFA officers had the incredible opportunity to attend the Legislative Symposium. As we met with representatives and lobbyists from the capitol, we got an insight into the agricultural projects they are working on. We explored the capitol building, and a few of us even had the chance to see Governor Reynolds!”

Left to Right
Frank Freund, Joaquin Wailes, Lola Comes, Hayden Kleen, Brooke Booth, Lily Johnson, Maddy Anderson, Caleb Lantz, Representative Tom Moore

Left to Right Hayden Kleen, Joaquin Wailes, Lauren Comes, Senator Tom Shipley, Lola Comes, Lily Johnson, Maddy Anderson, Frank Freund

During the morning, FFA members gathered at the Downtown Embassy Suites for a brief greeting and tutorial. The program provided opportunities for FFA members to hear from Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Vice President, Brian Feldpausch, then delivered a message about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry. Jake Swanson from High Yield Strategies then spoke about the importance of advocating for the agricultural industry. Atlantic Vice President Lily Jonhson said “While at the capital, I enjoyed talking with Iowa legislators Representative Moore and Senator Shipley. We got to discuss new laws and what their thoughts were. I also got the opportunity to speak briefly with Governor Kim Reynolds! Overall it was a great learning experience.”

The 40th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol was made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

(Radio Iowa) – A district court has denied the sentence appeal in the murder of a Fairfield teacher. Jeremy Goodale pleaded guilty to first-degree murder along with Willard Miller in the death of their Spanish teacher Nohema Graber in 2021 K-C-R-G T-V reports Goodale appealed his sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, saying he was 16 at the time and the court failed to consider his age and immaturity in his sentencing.

The ruling says it does recognize that Goodale was influenced by Miller and he did not fully appreciate the consequences of his actions. But it noted Goodale was a bright student and an intelligent teenager who could have stopped the murder. It says the minimum term was necessary because of the “egregiousness of the crime.”

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa lawmaker who’s also a state trooper is proposing a bill to better define when motorists are guilty of tailgating in the highway. Current law says drivers are to follow other vehicles at a prudent and reasonable distance. Representative Zach Dieken of Granville has been a state trooper for 13 years. “The concern is just literally following too close,” Dieken says. “A lot of our accidents are caused by people who are literally driving too close to one another,” Dieken says.

Drivers can be ticketed for following another vehicle too closely, but Dieken says Iowa law doesn’t properly define tailgating. “To try to explain that to a magistrate on the stand or even a violator on the side of the road I think becomes problematic because everybody can have a different definition of what is prudent,” Dieken says, “especially when you’re on the receiving end of a traffic stop or a citation, prudent is maybe a little bit different than what the trooper or the (police) officer is considering prudent.”

Rep. Zach Dieken (R-Granville) (official photo)

Dieken’s bill says under clear conditions on an Iowa highway, motorists are to drive at least 25 feet behind another vehicle when the speed limit is 35 miles per hour and at least 150 feet when the posted speed limit is between 55 and 65 miles an hour. For the interstates, where the speed limit goes up to 70, the bill indicates at least 200 feet is the prudent distance between vehicles. Dieken says those are the current guideposts for troopers who issue tickets to tailgaters and those calculations are based on how long it takes not necessarily to come to a complete stop, but to avoid a collision. Dieken is hoping the bill gives driver’s ed instructors guidance that’s based on feet, rather than seconds between vehicles.

“When I was in middle school it was how many “Mississippis” or light poles and that kind of thing,” Dieken says. “Hopefully this is going to define an actual distance we need to be driving.”

The bill cleared a subcommittee this (Tuesday) morning and is eligible for consideration in the House Transportation Committee.

(Radio Iowa) – Pedal power is having a remarkable impact on Iowa’s financial health, as well as the physical and mental health of the state’s cyclists, according to a new study from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Luke Hoffman, the non-profit’s executive director, says cycling and the use of bike trails in Iowa contributes nearly one-and-a-half BILLION dollars to the state’s G-D-P every year.

“1.4 billion is the total statewide economic impact of recreational bicycling in Iowa,” Hoffman says, “and that is from the 900,000 riders who every year, from a variety of folks who ride a bike one time to ride a bike multiple times per week, are having that impact.” Hoffman calls Iowa “the world capital of trails” with two-thousand miles of multi-use trails. Cycling, he says, supports Iowa’s local economies, workforce, talent attraction and retention, rural revitalization, and quality of life.

“A trail is greater than the sum of its parts, right?” Hoffman says. “It’s not just a few inches of concrete, it’s not just several miles of trail. It’s a vibrant, connected, living, breathing system, because of all the stories and memories that people have there and all of the health savings and economic impacts that are coming out as a result.” According to the study, Iowa’s bicycle retail sector generates 56-million dollars in economic impact each year, supporting workforce development with 800 jobs statewide.

The report says cycling also improves health outcomes and quality of life, with active cyclists showing a 28-percent reduced risk for breast cancer, 77-percent reduced risk for colorectal cancer, and a variety of other physical health benefits.  “The study showed that those who are frequent cyclists, meaning that you bike several times per month, experienced a 49% reduction in chronic mental health conditions,” Hoffman says. “I just think it’s something that really is part of the spiritual fabric of Iowa, and what makes it a great place to live, work and play.”

Cycling and trail use rank among the top 50 industries in the state, according to the study, which found bicycle-related tourism generates 13-million dollars in Iowa annually. Trail construction and maintenance investments have a 24-million dollar economic impact, supporting rural revitalization with 260 jobs, mostly in construction. A similar Coalition study done in 2012 pegged the economic impact of cycling and trails in Iowa at almost 365-million dollars.

(Denison, Iowa) – Officials with the City of Denison have Red Taged the Donna Reed Theater Due to Safety Issues with the Upper Parapat (part of the exterior wall). Denison Building Inspector Chris Flattery spoke with our sister station KDSN in Denison, about the matter.

(Photos via the KDSN Facebook page)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Cass Health have announced the February session of “Healthy U,” will be presented by Dr. Rick Rinehart. The session will be held at Noon February 25th, in Conference Room 2. Dr. Rinehart will be focusing on ear, nose, and throat concerns for older adults during this presentation.

Dr. Rinehart is a board-certified Otolaryngologist Head and Neck Surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. He was born and raised in Iowa and did his undergraduate studies at Iowa State University. He then completed both medical school and his residency at the University of Iowa. He served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in ENT for the University of Iowa and instructed ENT residents in Des Moines for over a decade. In 2013 Des Moines Magazine presented him with the “Best Doc” award in his field as voted by his ENT peers. Dr. Rinehart provides clinical care in the Cass Health Surgery Clinic and performs surgeries locally as well.

Dr. Rick Rinehart (CCHS photo)

Space for the session is limited! A free boxed lunch is provided for all attendees, so reservations are required. Call 712-243-7479 to reserve your seat. For more information about Healthy U, visit casshealth.org/healthyu.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting today (Tuesday, Jan. 28th). During their session, the Board received a weekly update from Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert.

The Board also received a report from Becca Laughlin, with the Southwest Iowa Art Tour. The organization held its 11th Annual Tour September 20th through the 22nd, 2024, at gathering places in Red Oak, Essex and 18 other locations. One of the gathering places, where all the artists come together, was at Five One 8, in Red Oak.

She said the tour usually draws around 200 people that sign-in from many zip codes. Becca Laughlin said “Red Oak…is I would say, our ‘Poster child for the Southwest Iowa Art Tour,” because of its success in drawing artists and attendees at the tour locations. She thanked the Board of Supervisors for their support last year, which amounted to $1,000. The same amount was requested in the next budgeting year.

MC BOS mtg 1-28-25 (Zoom screenshot)

The Montgomery County Supervisors discussed and then approved a payment to the Central Cost Allocation Plan. Auditor Jill Ozuna….

The payment they approved for FY2025 was $4,450. The Board then approved a Resolution abating the taxes on multiple parcels in the City of Villisca. The entire resolution and a list of the respective parcels can be seen in the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office. They passed also, a Resolution Transferring the Capital Funds Balance to Debt Service.

Ozuna said it will essentially not require as much from the taxpayers. The Supervisors then went into a Closed Session as allowed under the Code of Iowa, for the purpose of reviewing and discussing confidential records related to the election security assessment by CISA (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), requiring confidentiality under state or federal law.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump concluded his first week in office by firing 17 inspectors general from a long list of federal agencies last Friday night, which drew the attention of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. It’s within the president’s power to take such action, but Grassley says Congress was supposed to have been given 30 days notice. Grassley says he wants to know why each of those inspectors was fired and why the notice wasn’t given, as required by law. Grassley says, “Yeah, I’m working on a bipartisan letter to the president trying to get an explanation.” Inspectors general are considered the government’s watchdogs, those who are to guard against waste, fraud and abuse. Grassley, a Republican, says he’s long championed the importance of transparency in government.

“IGs are not immune for removal, just that the president has to give Congress a 30-day notice and the rationale for removing people,” Grassley says, “and of course, they can be removed by the president, but the law must be followed.” Inspectors general were fired in federal departments including: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and several others.

“The whole idea behind the 30-day period of time is to make sure that we have continuity in the Inspector General’s Office,” Grassley says. “So the president has gotten rid of 17. He probably shouldn’t have done that without having a replacement.” During the first Trump administration, the president fired at least two inspectors general in 2020, prompting Grassley to hold up several of Trump’s nominees to various posts until the actions were explained. Grassley was asked if he’d be putting up similar roadblocks now, to uphold the system of checks and balances.

Grassley says, “Well, I think that I’m going to get this letter written and wait for a response before I take any further action.” Grassley could hold up several of Trump’s high-profile nominations this week, should he choose to do so. Grassley will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow (Wednesday) on the nomination of Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and later, the Senate Finance Committee considers Robert F. Kennedy Junior as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Also, the Judiciary Committee will vote on Kash Patel as F-B-I director on Thursday.