Governor Terry Branstad is regrouping and hopes to come up with a new alternative that would prevent Iowa school districts from starting early in August.  “It is an important issue to a lot of Iowans and I do want to see it resolved and I want to see it resolved in a reasonable way, and I think we’re going to continue to reach out to people that have concerns about it to see what is the best and most appropriate way to deal with it,” Branstad says.

Last week the Iowa Board of Education voted down rules that would have made it tougher for schools to get a state waiver to start school in August.  “I’m disappointed that the board decided that they didn’t want to take on this issue,” Branstad says. State law stipulates that schools are not to start before the week in which September 1st falls, but under present practice all districts that apply for a waiver to start in August get one.

Iowa’s tourism industry has been a critic, saying they lose millions because families stop traveling in August, plus many of their teenage employee leave because school is resuming. Branstad vows to meet with parents, teachers, school administrators and others to come up with another plan to address the controversy. “It’s not going to go away and I think we need to try and come up with a reasonable and fair compromise in trying to deal with this,” Branstad says.

Branstad suggests he may make a recommendation to legislators to pass a law on the issue in 2014. The Iowa House and Senate have passed bills in the past to restrict early starts for schools, but a bill on the issue has never cleared both the House and Senate in the same year and in the same form.

(Radio Iowa)

An Atlantic man was arrested for Disorderly Conduct/fighting, over the weekend. The Atlantic P-D reports 29-year old Cody Hanson was also taken into custody in the 400 block of west 5th Street, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree with regard to vehicle vandalism, and on a Cass County warrant for Burglary in the 1st degree associated with a residential burglary in the 800 block of Palm Street, on June 28th. Hanson was booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will host a nationally known speaker this Friday morning.

David Horsager, author of “The Trust Edge.”

David Horsager, a business strategist, entrepreneur, professor and author, is scheduled to speak from 8:30-until 10-a.m. Friday, on the topic of trust and community. His presentation will take place in the Atlantic High School Commons, and is preceded by a continental breakfast in the commons area from 7:45- to 8:15-a.m., and a welcome by Atlantic Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein.

The event is open to faculty, students and staff, as well as by invitation to certain members of the community. It is not open to the general public.

Iowans who love the taste of farm-fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and other just-picked veggies already know where to go — as this is Iowa Farmers Market Week. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says there are more than 220 farmers markets across the state, and you’re never too far away from one. Northey says, “They’re one or two or sometimes three times a week in a location so you kind of have to pay attention to know where it’s at, but boy, once people get going, it becomes something they always want to get to and see what new products are there, meet and see friends and just get caught up on what’s going on.”

Northey says farmers markets sell more than just produce, but that is the number-one lure. “The produce and the changing of the seasons is certainly one of the things that draws folks there,” Northey says. “When strawberries show up or when sweet corn shows up, we see a surge in traffic but there’s also baked goods and crafts and other kinds of things, depending on what each market has.”

About a year ago, the state ag department launched a free downloadable smart phone app which offers a searchable database of Iowa’s farmers markets. Learn more at: www.agriculture.state.ia.us

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Guthrie County Auditor’s Office has released the names of candidates set to appear on the September 10^th ballot for School Board elections. In the Guthrie Center School District, Incumbent Melia Vanmeter and Wes Policky are running for two open seats.

In the Panorama School District, Greg Irving is running for a District 1 seat. Three candidates, Deb Douglass, Mindy L. Fear and Kent Muyskens, are running for one seat in District 2. And, Shari Clark and Jon Stetzel are running for one seat in District 4.

In the Coon Rapids-Bayard School District, Kelly Pevestorf and Brenda Schlaatter are competing for one seat in District 1 to fill a vacancy for a two year term. Jason Rosenbeck is running unopposed in District 3 to fill a vacancy for a two year term. Steve Dentlinger and Chad Leighty are competing for the one seat available in District 4.  Incumbent Pat McAlister is unopposed in District 6. And, Incumbent Joel Davis is running unopposed for the CR-B At Large District seat.

An Iowa Department of Education official says the organization is taking a cautious approach in instituting updates to a program that provides school districts with extra state financial help if they share positions to cut costs. Department deputy director, Jeff Berger, says the program had been limited to sharing operational and maintenance positions. But, he says that appears to have changed with the renewal of the program by the Iowa Legislature.

“They did several things that would indicate that they wanted to expand the opportunities to the program. They added several functions that were not there previously and were not — in our opinion– operational,” Berger says. “Things like guidance counselors, librarians, school nurses, social workers, curriculum directors. Those really in my mind are not maintenance and operations, which is fine.”

Berger says the original law ramped down the additional funding by 20-percent over time, but the new version does not do that. The original bill only allowed for sharing between contiguous districts, but the new bill does not have that provision. Berger says the Education Department’s biggest question is if the bill is meant to help districts add new staff as part of a sharing arrangement.

He says they are wrestling over the intent of the statute because it’s lead sentence says it’s designed to “enhance student opportunities. “There are some who would read the enhancing student opportunities to mean this is allowing us to add staff that we didn’t previously to have,” Berger says. Expanding the program to include new positions that can be shared also means expanding the supplemental money given to schools. Berger says the state could spend a minimum of 20-million-dollars to a maximum of 85-million dollars depending on the participation. The program currently spends 13-million dollars.

Thirty-five percent of the program is paid for through property tax, so the expansion would be a hit to taxpayers. Berger says the Department has decided to take a narrow view of the program at this point and only fund sharing for positions that are already in a district’s budget. He cites a superintendent position that’s equivalent to one full time position as an example.

“The superintendent was in a small district a one-point-oh. They decide with some other district to reduce that to point-eight and the other district will pick up the point-two. Because that F-T-E in the first district went from one to point-eight, they qualify for operational sharing,” Berger says. The district would get extra state support based on the amount of state aid the state already pays each district for each pupil. Berger says the department wants to get more input on how far to expand the sharing program and if legislators want to fund that additional cost before they move ahead with it.

“Our approach in interpreting this is that it is much easier for us to be very conservative and go back for a clarification from the legislature and then loosen it up, than to take the broadest interpretation and let the horse out of the barn and then try to rein it back in,” Berger says. The State Board of Education gave initial approval to the conservative rules for the update program at their meeting last week. The issue will now go to a public hearing and then to a legislative review committee.

(Radio Iowa)

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The Iowa National Guard has taken some significant casualties in recent months. Since late last year, eight active or former soldiers have taken their own lives. Major Amy Price oversees the Iowa National Guard’s suicide prevention programs.”We’re having one of our worst years for suicide,” Price says. “Often people relate the suicides in the military to those who have deployed, but what we’re seeing is the majority of suicides have (involved) soldiers that have not deployed.”

Since last December, five active guardsmen ended their lives. They were between the ages of 18 and 25 were said to be facing financial and/or relationship problems.  “One of the biggest things that were doing is just trying to decrease the stigma of asking for help. We have a lot of resources out there for those who are struggling,” Price says. At least one case might have been related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Guard Chaplain Gary Selof  says the losses have been tough on other soldiers.

“I think it’s harder than a combat loss honestly, because it’s something the person intentionally did,” Selof says. “Questions are raised (about) why didn’t we see it coming, couldn’t we have done something to prevent it…sometimes you just don’t see it coming at all and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Chaplain Selof says every soldier is aware of the threat. Suicide awareness is confronted openly, with an emphasis on training, identifying the symptoms, and getting help for those endangered.

(Radio Iowa)

A man who serves as the City of Council Bluffs’ Finance Director will announce his intentions this (Monday) morning to make a run for the Iowa Senate. Republican Art Hill will announce his candidacy for the Senate District 11 seat at a press conference set to begin 9:30-a.m. in Meeting Room D, at the Council Bluffs Public Library.

Hill is seeking the seat currently held by fellow Republican Hubert Houser, who is undecided on whether to seek re-election. Houser’s Senate seat is up for election in November 2014. District 11 includes Pottawattamie, Cass, Adams and Union counties.

Hill served as the finance director for Council Bluffs since 2008. He has previously held the position of business manager for the Lewis Central School District.