Retiring superintendents make final school funding requests to legislators
Apr. 29—CAMANCHE — Local school district superintendents asked a forum of Iowa legislators in Camanche City Hall on Saturday for changes in school funding
Moderated by Vice President of Community and Economic Development Matt Parbs, the forum was one of Grow Clinton's "Legislative Coffees," in which members of state government were available for questions from the public, following the April 20 end of this year's legislative session.
Camanche School District Superintendent Tom Parker asked the forum of Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer and Republican Reps. Norlin Mommsen and Tom Determann to address per pupil funding inequity existing between school districts.
Parker will retire from Camanche School District's administration on June 30.
"I know from conversations with each of you both individually and these types of settings you are supportive of getting that addressed," Parker said. "I guess I just feel I'd be very remiss before I leave if I didn't bring it up one last time."
The inequity originated in the 1970s when public schools were primarily funded through property taxes, Clinton Community School District Superintendent Gary DeLacy explained in an article for the Clinton Herald published in February 2023.
When the state adopted a foundation formula by which to fund public schools in the 1970s that incorporated state aid and property tax funding, districts that were spending more than the state per-pupil amount were grandfathered in to receive a higher amount of funding per student.
For a time, several years ago, the Legislature began funding to reduce the inequity. As of February 2023, DeLacy said the difference equated to $140 less per student for the Camanche and DeWitt school districts as compared to other districts and $129 for Clinton School District students.
"From my perspective," Parker said, "it looks like it could be fixed relatively quickly if someone would champion it and get it going."
DeLacy, who will retire as Clinton superintendent at the end of this school year, on Saturday also asked the forum's attention to school funding for a final time and advocated for the consideration of incorporating a "poverty index" into the state's formula.
"I believe poverty is a barrier to learning," he said.
Information DeLacy provided stated that in 2001, 27% of students in the Clinton district were eligible for free or reduced-priced lunches, whereas in 2024, 42.3% of students are eligible, which equates to at least 203,607 students coming from low-income families.
DeLacy added that he believes the current percentage reflects underreported numbers, and many high school students don't participate in the program possibly due to embarrassment.
"We kind of use that dropout prevention of either 2.5% or 5%," DeLacy said, "but when you're starting to now get statewide, we have 43% of our kids that are being identified as free and reduced. I'm not sure 2.5% or 5% is meeting the need."
"Every time we look at an issue that involves kids or the success of kids," Cournoyer said, "the impact of parents being involved in their lives, I think, is really one of the foundational, fundamental things that I'm looking at and what are we doing to break that cycle of poverty."
The School Budget Finance Review Committee, Cournoyer said, is to reevaluate the state funding formula this summer.
