State Supplemental Aid

The following letter was sent to each of CCA's State Legislators.  Any support you can provide through contacting our legislators is much appreciated.

Iowa schools have worked to maintain and improve programs under limited State funding for the past 6+ years.  In light of the State's fiscal struggles it was understood and I, like most educators and schools in general, was a "good soldier" and worked to maximize the educational opportunities for Iowa students under adverse fiscal conditions.  The fiscal struggles for Iowa schools is evident in our State's drop in rank on per pupil funding to 37th in the U.S.

Now is the time to begin to reassert Iowa's commitment to the education of our youth.  The State coffers are full and revenue projections continue to be positive.  The Legislature has a golden opportunity to assert their commitment to Iowa students.

In Iowa and at Clear Creek Amana we have seen an increase in low-socioeconomic students, English Language Learners, and migrant students.  All of these students are capable learners, but they need additional time and resources to reach their learning potential.

Iowa has also taken positive steps in implementing the Iowa Core Curriculum, Early Literacy Initiative (C4K), and the Teacher Leadership Supplement.  All of these initiatives have a positive impact on the learning of Iowa students.  But, the funds are categorical and can only be spent on those programs.  Please keep that in mind as you establish State Supplemental Aid and do not count them as part of our basic State Supplemental Aid.  The need to fund our core instructional programs has not diminished.  State Supplemental Aid of 6% would provide Iowa schools with a solid fiscal foundation to continue their work at providing a world class education for our students.

Should the Governor's recommended budget be approved, Iowans in many districts will see increased property tax rates due to the budget guarantee.  Students at CCA will experience larger class sizes and services such as guidance counseling, CTE programs, and other exploratory classes will not be able to expand with our rising student population; limiting opportunities for our students.

I recognize that the Legislature is faced with tough fiscal decisions as many compete for the revenues of the State.  I ask that you take action that supports our most valuable resource, the children of Iowa.

Sincerely,

Tim Kuehl

Superintendent

Clear Creek Amana CSD

School District to Legislator Tool
Representatives		Senators
Dist.	Name	Dist.	Name
74	Dave Jacoby	37	Bob Dvorsky
75	Dawn Pettengill	38	Tim Kapucian
76	David Maxwell	39	Kevin Kinney
77	Sally Stutsman