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Reynolds said $100M may make lawmakers hesitate
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · July 30, 2015


It seems unlikely the state legislature will overturn Gov. Terry Branstad’s line-item veto of more than $55.7 million in one-time funding for schools, and during her visit to West Branch, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds suggested she knows why.


Because critics are overlooking $100 million going to schools through the relatively new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System, she said.

Iowa Senate Democrats on Thursday noted that less than half of state senators and just over a third of state representatives officially requested a special session in an attempt to overturn the veto; they issued a statement pressing legislators to give them the necessary two-thirds support. Without it, Branstad could order the legislature back into session, but Reynolds said that is unlikely.

Branstad left intact a 1.25-percent increase in base state aid — worth about $52,000 to West Branch Community Schools — but criticized the legislature for not passing a two-year education budget and creating “uncertainty” with the one-time lump sum.

In West Branch’s case, the loss of the one-time funding amounted to about $89,000, while the addition of the TLC funding is worth about $83,300 — a third of the three-year $250,000 grant. The school joined the TLC starting with this school year.

TLC started last year with one third of Iowa schools, and this year includes two-thirds of them. At $50 million per year per third, this year allocates $100 million toward participating schools. One third of Iowa schools do not get the funding until next year.

“That actually rolls into the education formula,” Reynolds said of the TLC funding during her July 21 visit to Crestview Nursing and Rehab Center. “That funding can be used for hiring teachers or adding extra income to their salaries if they become a leader or mentor or model teacher.”

Reynolds said the TLC was developed with the help of educators and administrators to be “based on outcomes.”

“So these are based on programs that we believe will work and make a difference,” the Republican lieutenant governor said. “So every year we’ve put more money into education.”

Iowa Senate Democrats said in a statement they would “stand by our vote (that passed the original education budget) and make educating kids our top priority again.”

Reynolds said that out of the state’s roughly $7 billion budget, $3 billion goes toward education.

“Sometimes only in government is not putting in exactly what you request is perceived as a ‘cut,’” she said.

Reynolds said that with the money in place, the focus now is to “continue to look at ways that we can support programs that work.”

She pointed out that Iowa led the nation in eighth-grade math in 1992, but is now ranked 25th mostly because other states simply passed Iowa with better teaching, rather than eighth-grade scores dropping from neglect.

“Other states put funding into programs that are working,” she said. “We’re trying to do the same.”

West Branch is using TLC money to hire three full-time mentors — two from inside the school district — boost some salaries and purchase some supplies in an effort to improve teaching practices. Reynolds encouraged residents to give West Branch time to get the TLC program up and running, then to “go back and check” on how it is working.

“We’re making a concerted effort to get into school districts across the state that are participating in these programs and I have never seen such passion and energy and collaboration,” the lieutenant governor said. “Educators are putting their own metrics in place so that they can drive the strategies on how they’re going to teach their students.”

Reynolds also plugged the increase in science, technology, engineering and math — STEM — courses in schools. West Branch is doing that with Project Lead The Way classes.

“It’s been amazing to see it happen, especially with STEM, so we have the workforce — the business industry — showing what that looks like,” she said.