Under the Golden Dome

The second funnel deadline is next Friday, April 3. A bill must have passed one chamber and a committee in the opposite chamber to remain alive for consideration. This does not apply to Ways and Means, Appropriations, Government Oversight or leadership bills. This week saw an increase in the amount of subcommittee and committee work as both chambers moved bills through the process.

A decision on FY 2016 supplemental state aid continues to be elusive. The conference committee met this week at which time the Republicans made a motion to set the rate at 1.25%. This motion failed on a 5-5 vote. Neither party seems willing to move off of their original offers -- 1.25% for the Republicans and 4% for the Democrats. It is unlikely that this will be resolved in the near future.

The lack of resolution on FY 2016 supplemental state aid is impacting the normal budget process. No substantive work to agree upon budget targets for the various areas of state government has taken place. This makes the May 1 statutory deadline for the end of the 2015 legislative session even more unlikely.

Start Date Subject of Debate

The House passed an amended version of SF 227, the school start date bill on a 71-29 vote. All Republicans, except for two, voted for the agreement negotiated with Governor Branstad. The bill was amended to establish that a school district may start no earlier than Aug. 23. A district is not prohibited from starting earlier, but risks a reduction in state aid payments. In addition, the bill allows for an attendance center to request a waiver to adopt a year-round calendar. Under the provisions of this language, an attendance center from K - 8 (but not high school) may adopt a year-round calendar, but it must have a minimum of 10 instruction days in eleven of the twelve months.

The Senate was expected to refuse to concur with this amendment, and send the bill to a conference committee. However, that did not occur. The House amendment was approved on a non-recorded 29-21 vote. The Senate then voted 28-22 to pass SF 227 as amended. Senator Gronstal filed a motion to reconsider the bill. This action delays sending the bill to the governor for his signature. However, it is widely expected that this motion will be removed and the bill will eventually hit the governor's desk, establishing the school start date as no earlier than August 23.

Senate Passes State Penny Extension

The Senate passed SF 477 on a bi-partisan, 37-13 vote. This bill extends the state penny for school infrastructure through January 1, 2050. The additional penny collected for school infrastructure and distributed to school districts on a per pupil basis is set to expire December 31, 2029. Many school districts are already experiencing limits on their ability to finance long-term infrastructure repairs because of this deadline. IASB is registered in support of this bill which is in the House Ways and Means Committee. It faces significant hurdles to becoming law this year.

The following senators voted in support of SF 477 and the IASB position. Please take the time to thank them for their support.

Chaz Allen (D), Bill Anderson (R), Rick Bertrand (R), Joe Bolkcom (D), Tod Bowman (D), Chris Brase (D), Michael Breitbach (R), Jake Chapman (R), Tom Courtney (D), Jeff Danielson (D), Bill Dotzler (D), Bob Dvorsky (D), Randy Feenstra (R), Julian Garrett (R), MIke Gronstal (D), Rita Hart (D), Rob Hogg (D), Wally Horn (D), Pam Jochum (D), Tim Kapucian (R), Kevin Kinney (D), Tim Kraayenbrink (R), Liz Mathis (D), Matt McCoy (D), Janet Petersen (D), Herman Quirmbach (D), Amanda Ragan (D), Ken Rozenboom (R), Brian Schoenjahn (D), Joe Seng (D), Tom Shipley (R), Amy Sinclair (R), Roby Smith (R), Steve Sodders (D), Rich Taylor (D), Mary Jo Wilhelm (D), Dan Zumbach (R).

Advocacy In Action - Smarter Balance Assessment

The House and Senate Education Committees held hearings this week about which assessment should be given to Iowa's school children. Representatives from various assessment companies presented their options to each committee. The Iowa Assessment Taskforce, created by the legislature in 2013, was charged with making a recommendation to the legislature. On a 19-1 vote, the task force recommended the Smarter Balance Assessment.

Smarter Balance is designed to align with the state content standards. Assessment tests are given throughout the year so it provides students, teachers, and administrators with a clear picture of how students are comprehending the material. This computer adaptive assessment adapts to the students' knowledge. Currently, the fixed form assessment cannot adapt to a student who might have a higher level of knowledge on a subject. Smarter Balance assessments will continually challenge students level of understanding, providing a true academic indicator of a student's knowledge.

The Governor and leaders of both parties agree that there must be an assessment that tests the rigorous standards set in place. We encourage everyone to talk with legislators and ask for their support for the Smarter Balance Assessment. This assessment will help move Iowa forward and support the saying on the back of our state quarter; "Foundation in Education."

If you need any help locating your legislator please refer to our Legislative Look up Tool on the IASB website.

Key points to make when talking with your legislators:

The task force, comprised of educators, strongly recommended the Smarter Balance Assessment after a rigorous evaluation process.
The costs of the Smarter Balance Assessment and Next Generation Iowa Assessments (Iowa Testing) are comparable, when analyzing like products and the ability of school districts to eliminate additional assessment costs they currently incur. The task force calculates that the first year cost for Smarter Balance would amount to $8.27 million, while the first year cost for the Next Generation Iowa Assessments would be $7.97 million.
Student achievement gains rely on assessing their knowledge on the content standards.

Bills on the Move

SF 176 by Ways and Means - School Property Tax Replacement: This bill modifies the property tax replacement payment calculation for FY 2015 and FY 2016 to an amount equal to the school's weighted enrollment. This figure is based on the program state cost per pupil. IASB is registered against this bill due to the property tax replacement, and that no new money would be provided to school districts. This bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee and placed on the debate calendar.

Passed the House:

HF 550 by State Government - Contact Information for Elected Officials: The bill requires elected public officials to publish their contact information on the internet site of the government entity to which they serve. The bill was amended to define contact information as just the officials' phone number and email address. The amendment also defined public officials as: members of the general assembly, a county board of supervisors, city council, and a board of directors of a school district. IASB is registered undecided on this bill which unanimously passed the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

Sent to the Governor:

HF 570 - Protection from Liability by Judiciary - The bill creates liability protection for municipalities, including school districts, for activities that take place on their property. IASB is registered in support of this legislation since it reduces the potential risk of lawsuits for injuries that occur during the use of school property. The bill passed the House and the Senate and has been sent to the Governor.

If you have any questions or need additional information please feel free to contact IASB Government Relations Director, Phil Jeneary at pjeneary@ia-sb.org, or IASB Lobbyist, Emily Piper at emily@ialobbyresources.com.