Week two at the Iowa Statehouse

     Week-two at the capitol provided some meaningful opportunities to examine proposed legislation.

     At the Education Committee meeting, we heard about an idea to fix school transportation inequity in Iowa. Currently, under the school funding formula, every school district receives the same amount of money per pupil. The problem is that each school’s transportation costs are different.

     Traditionally, our rural schools have significantly higher transportation costs. For example, Western Dubuque Schools have an estimated transportation cost of $641 per student, while Bettendorf’s is an estimated $85 per student. This leaves our rural schools at a disadvantage when it comes to education funding.

     Many states have school transportation funding mechanisms that are separate from their per-pupil education money. That way, all schools get the same dollars to educate their students once they’re in the door. This provides more equality to rural schools and helps eliminate the disadvantages they currently face.

     So far, two plans have been presented to tackle the problem. I will be filing a bill that is much less expensive than the proposal presented to the Education Committee by the School Board Association. 

     Chris Hoover, Maquoketa’s Superintendent, was at the Capitol on Jan. 18 to discuss a variety of education issues. He acknowledged that transportation costs create a hardship for rural schools. We also talked about the inequity created by the school funding formula. Some schools receive up to $175 more per pupil than other schools.

     I voted in a Transportation subcommittee meeting to strengthen Iowa’s distracted driving laws. SSB 1002 makes texting while driving a primary offense. Much of the discussion at the meeting revolved around the idea of a complete ban on handheld devices while driving. A stronger law would help law enforcement keep our roads safer and would minimize due process issues.