House Speaker Pat Grassley says on Monday House Republicans will unveil their counter offer in negotiations over how much the state’s per pupil funding of K-12 students should grow next year. It will be at least a two percent increase, which is what the governor proposed in January. And Grassley says House Republicans will propose addressing some other school funding issues. “Things like the $14 million that we’ve talked about for paraeducators,” Grassley said. “That’s something that continues to be important.”
Yesterday was the legal deadline for legislators to make this school funding decision. Advocates for public schools say the general level of state funding of K-12 education must grow far more than Senate Republicans or the governor have proposed. They cite increasing operating costs due to inflation, plus starting July 1st all beginning teachers must be paid a 50-thousand dollar salary and veteran teachers with 12 years of experience must be paid 60-thousand dollars a year.
