District 24 Senator Jesse Green

Changes have been made to one aspect that Iowa lawmakers have gone beyond their self-imposed deadline to help public school districts.

State Supplemental Aid (SSA) is the increased funding that the state gives in additional funding to public school districts, and was supposed to be finalized within the first 30 days of the legislative session starting. District 24 Senator Jesse Green (R-Boone) tells Raccoon Valley Radio this year wasn’t as cut and dry as figuring out what next year’s SSA rate was going to be as there are other major educational items as well.

“All of these different topics (including) AEAs, SSA, teacher pay, all this stuff ties together in some shape or form. So the Senate all along has been looking at it more of a wholeist look at this, and that’s why we were slow to come out with any SSA numbers until we could get some sort of realistic expectation of what the House and Senate could agree to on AEAs and teacher salary. So it looks like we’re getting close to that.” 

Green notes that the Senate is looking at a 2.5 percent SSA rate and as of this by past Thursday, the House passed the encompassing educational bill with Area Education Agencies, teacher pay and SSA with amendments, and it included a 2.5 percent SSA, is now back in the Senate for consideration. If the Senate passes the bill with no further amendments, the legislation can head to the governor’s desk to become law.