News : Preschool, other VS programs still uncertain; funding debate continues

Calling them the "Victims" of the stalemate in Des Moines, Vinton-Shellsburg Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock announced at the recent school board meeting that a handful of teachers were being issued RIF(Reduction in Force) notices.

The Tiny Vikes preschool and the Home School Assistance Program were the two areas most affected by the cuts. That is because the Iowa Legislature has not yet come to an agreement on the budget for the coming year, and schools do not know for sure exactly how much funding they will receive. Also, the preschool and HSAP programs were among those targeted for cuts in the Legislature.

State law requires the school districts to approve and file their budgets in April, and to notifiy any teachers of RIF notices by April 30.

Hainstock said that it is possible that some of those teachers who received RIF notices would be issued contracts for the next year, depending on what funding plan the Legislature and Gov. Terry Branstad agree to.

But so far, there is no agreement. The Legislature, which usually is done with its session by May, continues to debate the education funding. School officials throughout Iowacontinue to wait, and continue to tell the legislators how the state funding is impacting education in Iowa.

"Our kids have already been impacted by less funding. Two years of zero percent allowable growth is going to impact them, and their learning, negatively," Hainstock wrote in a recent email to legislative leaders.

But while she waits for specific information, Hainstock is making tentative recommendations for the future of the Tiny VIkes preschool.

"Tentatively, I plan to recommend we offer some preschool at both buildings based on the need for our early-childhood special education students to be integrated into a general education preschool setting and it would be too late to get them into other programs at this point," said Hainstock. "We also have a few parents who have tentatively committed to paying something for preschool – even though we don’t know what that amount would be."