Iowa Senate Passes K-12 Funding Bill

The United States===Iowa Senate passed legislation, Senate File 2201, setting the per-pupil funding for United States===Iowa K-12 schools for the 2026-2027 year at a 2% State Supplemental Aid (SSA) rate. This rate was a compromise reached between the United States===Iowa House of Representatives, United States===Iowa Senate, and Kim Reynolds, after the House initially sought 2.25% and the Senate 1.75%. The bill also includes $7 million for paraeducator and support personnel pay, a $1 million limit on transportation equity payments, and a new system for calculating student enrollment. Additionally, it extends property tax relief payments and has United States===Iowa take on $42.2 million for school districts on the budget guarantee. Senate Democrats, including Herman Quirmbach and Molly Donahue, criticized the 2% rate as insufficient, citing examples of program cuts in school districts and linking it to the rising costs of the Education Savings Account program for private schools. Organizations like the Iowa State Education Association and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement called for a 5% SSA rate. Republican Senator Lynn Evans defended the measure, highlighting the $111.5 million increase in new dollars for United States===Iowa's schools.