Education funding was a leading topic during the legislative briefing conducted virtually by the Washington Chamber of Commerce Saturday.

The Iowa legislature recently passed a 2.4% increase in spending for public school education and the house has passed a bill to give additional one-time funding to schools based on students’ attendance for in-person learning throughout the school year. Washington Superintendent Willie Stone told the panel of area legislators including District 39 Senator Kevin Kinney (D) of Oxford, District 42 Senator Jeff Reichman (R) of Montrose, District 78 Representative Jarad Klein (R) of Keota, and District 84 Representative Joe Mitchell (R) of Wayland, the supplemental money is helpful, but asked why it’s only one-time funding. Klein says they’re assuming the funding solution, like the pandemic, is temporary, “The reason it’s one-time money is because hopefully this is a one-time problem. Hopefully, more of the kids are back in the classroom next year, statewide I think we’re at 6,000 less students in the classroom this year than last, so as those numbers adjust and change that’s when we’ll go back to our ongoing money. The reason it’s one-time is because this is a one-time problem.”

Washington City Council candidate for Ward 3, Haleigh Brockman, asked legislators their reaction to the cut of over $7,000,000 in preschool spending. Reichman says legislation is in the works to address that shortfall, “The negotiation isn’t done on that yet, but this is only part one and there is additional funding coming. I was just made aware that there’s a story out, I’m sure several stories out there, that they just cut your preschool funding by millions of dollars, but that is just one part and we have yet to see what’s that’s going to be, but it’s not as bad as they’re making it out to be. There’s going to be some more to it.”

Klein says while legislators are addressing the cuts, there’s still about $81 million allocated to preschool funding. He says preschool funding is not guaranteed in K-12 school funding bills because preschool students aren’t factored in enrollment numbers.

About 20 people joined in the Saturday’s Zoom meeting, the chamber’s second of four legislative briefings. The next session is scheduled for March 20th.