Hanson sponsors school funding bill

State Rep. Curt Hanson sponsored a bill this week to make sure rural schools get their share of state education funding.

?It?s time for us to fix the fundamental deficiencies with state education funding that leave too many rural schools with less money,? said Hanson. ?My goal is to truly equalize school funding and make sure every child in Iowa ? regardless of where they live ? can get a world class education.?

A recent report from the Iowa Department of Education found teacher salaries significantly lower at smaller schools. The average teacher salary in Iowa is $51,235 while the average salary for teachers in a district with under 300 kids is only $41,868. It would take a new teacher 12 years before they earned a salary of $40,000 in the rural areas while in urban areas, it would only take a new teacher four years to reach $40,000.

?I know many educators choose to remain in small and medium-sized school districts for a variety of reasons, but talent does sometimes follow money. If a teacher is faced with massive student loans and can earn thousands more every year in an urban school district, the choice to work in an urban district is even easier. If even one teacher leaves a smaller school for a larger school because of salary and/or benefits, we have an inequality that needs to be fixed,? Hanson said.

Under a bill introduced, school districts below a certain threshold of students should receive additional compensation through Iowa?s school aid formula in order to make up for the competitive disadvantage they face when it comes to attracting and retaining staff.

The bill will now proceed to the House Education Committee.