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topicnews · August 29, 2024

Iowa AEAs begin the new school year with 429 fewer employees than in 2023

Iowa AEAs begin the new school year with 429 fewer employees than in 2023

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Due to a new state law, Iowa education officials will begin the new school year with 429 fewer employees than last year, Democrats said at a press conference on Thursday.

Democrats shared data from the nine AEAs showing their staffing levels at the start of the final school year in August 2023 and again at the start of the current school year on August 15.

Each AEA begins this school year with fewer staff than last year, and all but one AEA is experiencing a reduction in staff of at least 10%.

“429 fewer employees in the AEAs means 429 fewer professionals on the ground providing critical services to children in our public schools,” said Rep. Lindsay James (D-Dubuque). “That’s children from all backgrounds who will lose services, as well as our children with special education needs.”

The law, signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds this spring, overhauls the funding structure and responsibilities of AEAs, which traditionally provide services such as special education, general education and media to school districts and students.

More: About 500 AEA employees in Iowa are leaving the company. How regional education authorities are adapting to the new law

This year, the law will allocate 60 percent of the money AEAs previously received for general education and media services to school districts, while the remaining 40 percent will remain with the AEAs. Next year, schools will receive all of the money, valued at about $68 million.

This year, no special education funding will be diverted from the AEAs, but next year, school districts will receive 10% of the state special education funding that currently goes to the agencies. The Iowa Department of Education will also assume oversight responsibility for special education services.

As a result of these changes, the AEAs reported numerous staff departures this year.

By May, about 500 employees had left AEAs. Many AEA administrators said they were having difficulty finding staff to fill their open positions, including positions focused on special education.

Reynolds had previously stated that the law would make the AEAs “right sized.”

At a press conference last week, she said her goal in signing the bill was to bring more transparency, accountability and consistency to the AEAs’ budget. She said she is not hearing any concerns about the bill’s impact, but she will continue to evaluate it and look for ways to improve it.

“We will take care of these children and provide them with the services they need,” she said. “And we will take care of our teachers who provide those services every day in the classroom.”

Pam Jochum, a Dubuque Democrat who chairs the Senate Democratic minority, said when the AEAs were created in the 1970s, they were meant to provide equitable service in all parts of Iowa. That is not the case under the new law, she said.

“The governor and the Republicans have created a system that is now very unstable and unsafe,” she said. “It has created winners and losers, and we now have a real urban-rural divide when it comes to the education of our children.”

Rita Hart, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party and a former public school teacher, said Reynolds and Republicans exerted “political influence” on public school decisions.

“I have taught as an English teacher in small schools here in Iowa for over two decades. I have worked in these two rural districts, so I know how much these districts rely on the AEAs to provide the necessary services,” she said. “This loss of staff is obviously a cause for concern, especially for our smaller school districts. For their families, for the students, and for the state of Iowa’s ability to create a strong future for public education in this state.”

Data provided by Democrats show that Prairie Lakes AEA lost the highest percentage of employees from last year to this year, about 18 percent, or 44 employees. Keystone AEA saw the smallest percentage loss, with a total of 22 employees, or about 9 percent.

Grant Wood AEA had the most departures, with 84, a decrease of about 16%. Heartland AEA in central Iowa has 81 fewer employees, about 11% fewer staff than last year.

Cindy Yelick, Heartland’s chief administrative officer, said she and her team have been talking to school districts about the services they are most interested in so they can shift staff to those areas.

“Everyone lost staff,” Yelick said. “And all of us, all AEAs, had to prioritize special education because that is our duty.”

This could mean a transfer of staff who previously worked in general education or media services, she said.

“So if someone worked in education but had a special education degree, we deployed them to support special education work,” she said.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

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