Last week, over the objections of Senate Democrats and school districts around the state, Senate Republicans advanced a school funding bill that will continue to leave our public schools underfunded and force our students to do more with less.

Senate Republicans, in concert with Gov. Reynolds’ wishes, pushed through a bill that would increase funding for our public schools by 2% for the 2025-26 school year. What does a 2% increase mean in practice?

Well, to start, public schools will be forced to continue contending with prolonged teacher shortages – Iowa’s schools are among the nation’s most understaffed, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. At 2%, many school districts will be forced into significant budget cuts due to rising operational costs and growing expenses. Under the Republican plan, nearly half of Iowa’s school districts could be forced to raise local property taxes in order to cover funding gaps.

It didn’t have to be this way.

During the floor debate, Senate Democrats proposed an amendment to improve the bill, increasing school funding by 5%, aligning with education experts around the state. With a 5% increase, Iowa’s 482,000 public school students would receive a similar increase in funding to the amount Republican lawmakers have proposed for the roughly 27,000 kids in the unaccountable private school voucher program for next school year. Our public schools would be able to address teacher shortages, invest in modern educational materials, update classroom technologies, support special education needs, and expand preschool programs.

With 5%, we would be able to adequately support Iowa’s public schools and begin to make up for years of persistent underfunding.

The Republican proposal, SF 167, passed 29-18 with three Republican senators joining the Senate Democrats in voting NO including Sens. Dawn Driscoll (R-Williamsburg), Charlie McClintock (R-Alburnett), and Tom Shipley (R-Nodaway).

House Republicans passed an alternative public school funding bill, which differs from Senate Republicans and the governor. They proposed a 2.25% increase in funding with additional components, including a one-time appropriation to be divided between all school districts in the state. Senate and House Republicans will now need to figure out how to move forward and agree on a funding level, but regardless of which route they choose, one thing remains clear: both Republican proposals are wholly inadequate and fail to address our public schools’ needs. Iowa’s public school students deserve better than what is being offered by Gov. Reynolds and Republican lawmakers.

Pesticide Legislation

Who were we elected to represent, Iowans or chemical companies?

That’s the question Democratic colleagues were asking Republican lawmakers last week. The majority party is pushing to advance SSB 1051, a bill that would give huge chemical companies blanket immunity if Iowans are injured by their products.

This bill is backwards, plain and simple. It strips legal protections away from Iowa farmers who face increased risk of diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s while protecting the chemical companies whose products are contributing to the problem.

Our focus should be on Iowans, not big corporations. We should not be taking away Iowans’ right to have their day in court.

Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy updated for the first time since 2017

The strategy was originally created in 2013 by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Survey (IDALS). It was the result of a 12-state task force on the growing levels of nitrates in the Mississippi River Basin. The 2025 version reflects increased access to data and new practices, including a precision ag tool to optimize nitrogen application. The strategy encourages farmers to participate in nutrient reduction strategies.

Iowa Senate Democrats