School transportation costs vary greatly district to district across the state causing some schools more budgetary strain than others. State Representative Jarad Klein of Keota hopes this is the year that the Iowa House and Senate address this problem. Klein says, there has been a lot of discussion about school transportation issues this session and hopes before the session is over that lawmakers come up with a solution which works in the states overall budget.

The Iowa House of Representatives recently voted to increase school funding by two percent or about $81 million. Klein says he does not expect the bill to pass the Senate with Democratic leadership hoping to increase funding by four percent and thinks both chambers will agree on a number somewhere in the middle.