The “first bite” of the proverbial legislative appropriations apple is K-12 education funding, according to Iowa House Appropriations Vice Chair Ray Sorensen (R) of District 20.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers have proposed public school funding plans including a variance between Senate and House plans. Senate Republicans wish to add $76 million, or a 2.1% increase in base funding, about the same as last year, and House Republicans have proposed $95 million, which would amount to a 2.5% increase.

Sorensen says the House also has plans for giving more money to school districts with varying transportation costs, and districts that get less per-pupil funding, “We would like to ensure that no school spends more than the statewide average so we’d like to put in $7.25 million to reduce the transportation costs for rural schools that way we can make sure more dollars are used in the classroom rather than being spent to bus students to and from school. We’re looking to put $5.8 million in equity funding to further reduce the cost per pupil gap by $10 per student and this continues to reduce a longtime inequity that has existed since in school funding formulas since the ‘70s.”

House Democrats are seeking even more funds for public schools, with a 3% or $120 million increase. To hear more from Sorensen on the legislative session, listen to Monday’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on-air and at raccoonvalleyradio.com.