The Iowa legislature concluded its work on last Friday, April 29. While the reflection from many elected officials will be that K-12 education received increased revenue for the next fiscal year (and it is great to know that schools received some new funding), we are also keenly aware that funds for the AEA system were reduced an additional $3.75 million. Many of you participated in the effort to contact elected officials when the first proposal of reducing AEAs by an additional $5 million was introduced in late April, and for that I would like to say thank you. These contacts made a difference in reducing the budget cut. I want you to know that as a result of the further AEA funding reduction, we have no immediate plans to reduce staff at Heartland AEA—we just will not be in a position to hire at a rate that keeps pace with the growth we have in many of the schools in our service area.
Looking to the future, it is clear that we need to be proactive in our work to re-educate elected officials and the general public about the value AEAs bring in providing efficiency and equity to Iowa’s educational system, including required services for children in need of special education. While legislative advocacy is important, the most important advocacy is achieved by providing the highest quality service we can with the resources we have.
As always, thank you for the work you do on behalf of Heartland AEA.
- Paula
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