SAVE tax, other topics discussed at legislative forum

     Three Iowa state legislators learned about the biggest issues facing educators, and school board members and superintendents from two school districts learned how difficult those might be to solve, during a legislative forum Monday, Nov. 27 at Maquoketa Valley High School in Delhi.

     The Monticello School board joined with the Maquoketa Valley board to discuss key topics with three Eastern Iowa legislators: state Sen. Dan Zumbach, Rep. Lee Hein, and Rep. Louie Zumbach.

     The biggest issue that emerged from the 90-minute session was the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) tax, sometimes called the penny tax, which is scheduled for a sunset date of 2029.

     Monticello Superintendent Brian Jaeger made the case for extending the tax, largely so that it will help the school district pay off revenue bonds if it should pass a bond referendum for construction or remodeling in the coming years.

     “I think this is number one on every superintendent’s list,” Jaeger said. “If we can only bond out to 2029, it does not give us a very large amount to use as a revenue bond.”

     Hein said that while he firmly believes in reviewing the tax every so often, “I think there will be a discussion this year. I’m cautiously optimistic that we can get something done.”

     Another topic was the funding of education in general. Last year, the Iowa State Legislature approved a 1.11 percent increase in state aid, which districts complained was well below what they needed.

     At the forum, Dan Zumbach and Hein both cautioned that the increase might be low again next year. Zumbach said education makes up between 55 and 60 percent of the state’s budget.

     “We have to be realistic,” Hein said. “We will fund education first, and try to get a number to you guys as fast as we can, but don’t be surprised if it’s not a real high number, because we do have (other) areas we need to address.”

     Dan Zumbach added: “We will fund education, and we’ll fund it with every possible dollar we can find.”

     Another topic was the concept of Area Education Agencies; Grant Wood AEA serves the Monticello district, and Keystone AEA serves Maquoketa Valley.

     Jaeger, and MV Superintendent Doug Tuetken, were asked if that has been valuable to them, and they both said it was.

     “We’re getting bang for our buck,” Tuetken said.

     Jaeger agreed: “They have resources we don’t have.”

     While the legislators discussed several other topics in response to questions, including mental health, water quality, and the merits of the Jones Regional Education Center, TLC funding and Area Education Agencies, a recurring theme was the difficulty they deal with in trying to get things advanced at the Capitol.

     “It’s amazing how Iowa is vastly different from one end to the other,” Louie Zumbach said. “To get 50 people in the house to agree with you, it’s a challenge.

     “We all three own our own businesses,” he added. “So when something goes wrong at our house, we fix it. I got there (to the Capitol) thinking I was going to fix things. I still intend to, but it’s going to take far longer than it does at my house.”

     Dan Zumbach said public views on education vary.

     “When you talk with the folks that are directly involved with education, their perspective is very different than the perspective of, let’s say, some elderly people that don’t have kids in school. Maybe they’ve got a limited income, and they feel like their taxes are choking them.

     “Where my education folks are saying we’ve got to do more, I have a whole ‘nother group of folks saying, ‘Man, how much more do they want, how much are they going to take?’ And their concerns are very real also.

     “I will tell you it is not easy when you try to build that budget, at all.”

     Hein added: “No matter how much you think something is a no-brainer issue, I can almost promise you that there is somebody that is 180 degrees the other way.”

     Other issues the educators said were important were easing the restrictions on categorical funding, to allow districts more flexibility on how they spend their money; and the value of the TLC grant that has enabled districts to provide coaching for their teachers.

     But the largest issue of the evening was the SAVE tax.

     “If we get that this year, that’s a huge step,” Dan Zumbach said.