KDSN RADIO News
Governor to Approve Legislature's Version of AEA Changes, School Funding
The Iowa Senate has given final approval to a bill that makes changes in Iowa's Area Education Agencies, raises teacher pay, and increases general state education spending. Governor Reynolds plans to sign the package into law this (Wednesday) afternoon. The starting salary for teachers will rise to 50-thousand dollars within two years. There are raises for paraeducators along with a two-point-five percent increase in the state's per-pupil spending for public school students as well as the thousands of private school students who'll get state-funded Education Savings Accounts. The legislature's plan does not go as far as the governor's blueprint for but does shift A-E-A oversight to the Iowa Department of Education. Schools eventually will have the authority to spend funding for special education, teacher prep and other A-E-A services outside of the A-E-A system.
