Government : Hello District 84 from the State Capitol

This last week, the Iowa House passed bills involving education. House File 2612 was passed to make improvements to special education outcomes of our kids. This bill has big changes compared to an AEA bill introduced by Governor Kim Reynolds in January. HF 2612: 1. will not be a disruption to special education services, 2. does not terminate any employees of the AEAs, and 3. does not prohibit the AEAs ability to perform any of the services they do now. What HF 2612 does do is:

1. Requires the schools to use AEA services for special education.

2. Pushes back the timeline as requested by everyone.

3. Retains operational sharing for schools and AEAs.

4. Implements the Special Education Task Force recommendations agreed upon by both public and non-public schools.

5. Creates a task force to look at services as requested by stake holders, and will even look at the pieces we passed in the bill that will not be implemented before the task force meets.

6. Does not allow the Dept. of Education to provide special education services.

7. Allows schools to retain more of their own money to disperse it as the see fit (local control).

8. Focuses AEA accreditation on students with disabilities to improve special ed outcomes.

9. Includes a minimum $15 per hour wage for our para educators.

There are three paid lobbyists at the Capitol for the Area Education Agencies of Iowa. All lobbyists can state their position on each bill, and can be for, neutral, or against. These three people had a significant amount of input into this bill, and ALL THREE ARE NEUTRAL on HF 2612. If they thought it was a bad bill, they all would've been against it! The current AEA system is about 50 years old and has never had a comprehensive review. As I have stated previously, I personally would not vote for a bill that would cut AEA services to the kids.

The Iowa House passed HF 2544, which outlines certain history and civics requirements that must be met in all public, private, and charter schools in Iowa. In 2021, a Fordham Institute study (found here https://fordhaminstitute.org/sites/default/files/publication/pdfs/20210623-state-state-standards-civics-and-us-history-20210.pdf#page=134) gave Iowa students a "D" in civics standards and an "F" in U.S. History standards. Iowans can and will do better!

We also passed HF 2545, which directs the Dept. of Education to conduct a comprehensive review of the graduation requirements and K-12 core curriculum. A comprehensive review has not been conducted since 2007. The DE will take input from educators, teachers, and legislators to ensure the education standards setting teachers and students up for success and not holding them back. All of these bills are now eligible for the Senate floor debate.

On February 29th, I was floor manager for HF 2568 that passed with a large bipartisan support. Current traffic laws state you must yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks. The current code creates a loophole for others using pedestrian conveyance, or people moving by other means, such as a wheelchair, scooter, skateboard, stroller, or bicycle. A driver who fails to yield would be subject to a misdemeanor fine. It now goes to the Senate for their consideration.

February 27th was Community Colleges Day on the Hill, and I had a great visit with the newly inaugurated President of Kirkwood Community College, Dr. Kristie Fisher, and a few Kirkwood students. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful community college this close!

Have a safe week, be careful out there, and Spring is just around the corner!