Iowa Schools Get Millions to Save Jobs (IA)
September 10, 2010
Iowa school districts will split a pot of$96.5 million in federal funding intended to save or create education jobs.
Districts will receive monthly payments throughout the 2010-11fiscal year starting in September or October based on enrollment.In Northeast Iowa, that means a total of $2.35 million for Waterloo Community Schools, $885,245 for Cedar Falls Schools, $386,161 for Waverly-Shell Rock, $300,669 for Independence and $134,235 for Hudson.
The money is Iowa’s share of $10 billion in education funds approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by President Barack Obama Aug. 10. The U.S. Senate had earlier approved the legislation, which also includes $16 billion in Medicaid health insurance funds for the poor.
Allocations in Iowa are based on weighted enrollment, which includes adjustments to serve students outside of the general program like special education or English language learners.Schools will receive $174.92 per student.
The funding will allow districts to recall teachers and other building-level staff who were laid off due to budget cuts made in the midst of the economic downturn along with hiring new employees.
Nearly a year ago, Gov. Chet Culver announced a 10 percent across-the-board cut in state funding, which included per-pupil aid received by school districts. School administrators across the state were forced to make immediate cuts and then begin planning for smaller-than-expected budgets in the current fiscal year.
Similar budget reductions have been seen across the country. A fact sheet from the joint economic committee of the U.S. Congress said that state and local governments shed 102,000 jobs between May and July. Of those, 45,600 were education jobs.
Having just received word of the new federal funding, Cedar Valley school officials had little to say about how the money would be used.
"After we receive guidance from the Iowa Department of Education about the permitted expenditures of the Ed Jobs bill funds we will begin the decision-making process to determine how best to use the dollars to assist the students of the Cedar Falls School District,"said Superintendent David Stoakes. He was uncertain how soon that would be.
Sharon Miller, the Waterloo district’s spokeswoman, said the money would be used "to mitigate large class sizes by adding teachers" as well as reading and math coaches "to support teacher strategies that will increase student achievement." Waterloo school officials largely avoided layoffs when they targeted $4.5 million in cuts for 2010-11.
After 83 teachers took early retirement last spring, the district reduced costs by hiring less-experienced replacements and made minimal reductions in staffing levels. In addition, the district left some custodial positions open this fall.
Other budgets cuts were achieved by combining Edison and Black Hawk elementary schools and centralizing alternative education programs at the former McKinstry School. The two elementaries have been combined at Edison as a new school is built on the Black Hawk site . Alternative programs will be moving into McKinstry in January.
Cedar Falls school officials largely avoided layoffs, as well,with the exception of the district’s nursing staff. Those services were outsourced to Black Hawk County’s health department.
"We have three custodial positions that have not been filled,"said Stoakes. "Nursing was a program change — obviously those positions were not left unfilled. Other reductions have come in other areas that didn’t involve staff."
According to a document on the Iowa Department of Education’s website, nurses and custodians are among the positions that can be paid for with the federal funds. Teachers, academic coaches,principals and a host of other building-level positions also qualify for the funding.
The funds cannot be used for district-level staff salaries, debt retirement or rainy-day funds, unemployment benefits and non-salary expenses.