The Iowa Legislature has missed a deadline by which to let public school districts know the amount of new money they will receive for the year ahead.
Per Iowa law, that funding increase is supposed to be reached within the first month of the session, at 30 days after the Condition of the State speech by Governor Kim Reynolds.
School board members and administrators are working on setting 2025-26 budgets. Sioux City School District Superintendent Rod Earleywine on Monday said, “The budgeting process gets very difficult when school districts do not know the amount of funding.”
Earleywine said the Iowa schools must set their budget public hearings by March 15, so crunch time is approaching.
Republicans control both chambers in the Legislature, and are working towards the funding decision. Senate Republicans are moving forward with Reynolds’ proposal for a 2% increase, while House Republicans are advocating for a 2.25% boost. Democrats are pushing for a more significant increase of 5%.
State Representative J.D. Scholten, a Democrat from Sioux City, said the delay in meeting the funding law timeline shows Republicans “seem to treat public education as a nuisance rather than a priority.”
There is no penalty to the state lawmakers for missing the deadline.
