With the passage of the Student Savings Plan by the Iowa Legislature and signed into law by Governor Km Reynolds, there are school districts who are concerned about possible loss in revenue streams from the state to support education. Belmond-Klemme Community School District Superintendent Dan Frazier says that the funding figures don’t add up.
Frazier has been working to improve test scores and student success in his district. While he has seen success in these areas, there looms a potential problem on the horizon, an even greater teacher shortage.
Belmond-Klemme Superintendent of Schools
In some districts in Iowa, questions are being raised about what students are actually learning in the classroom. Districts have come under fire about curriculum and not teaching basics. For area districts like Belmond-Klemme where these controversies don’t exist, this can become problematic because it may deter future teachers eager to teach basic accepted and required curriculum. Frazier sees fewer people entering the teaching profession and not because of pay scales.
School funding is declining according to Frazier. There are simple reasons for this, he says.
Frazier believes that the Iowa Legislature should take a closer look at education and not just in the more metropolitan areas, but also in the rural schools where educational demands are being met, but if funding continues to decline, problems may arise for future generations.
