“Iowa’s Area Education Agencies work. Parents love them. Educators rely on them. Students benefit from them,” Iowa state Sen. Molly Donahue said. “But this legislation creates instability and uncertainty that will reduce educational opportunities for hundreds of districts and thousands of students across every Iowa community.”

“Gov. Reynolds and the Republican majority in the legislature are breaking our AEAs,” Donahue said. “Their changes turn AEAs into an unstable fee-for-service program that reduces access in rural Iowa and consolidates power in Des Moines.” 

“Once again, Gov. Reynolds and the Republican majority are failing Iowa students, educators, and communities by underfunding our public schools,” Iowa state Sen. Herman Quirmbach said. “Under Gov. Reynolds, the state is throwing taxpayer dollars at private schools and building a new bureaucracy in Des Moines, but failing to support public schools enough to keep up with inflation.”

“Senate Democrats support a responsible plan to boost school funding by $300 million and begin to reverse years of chronic underfunding by Republican administrations,” Quirmbach said. “Senate Republicans continue to neglect public education.” 

Quirmbach, D-Ames, serves as the ranking member on the Senate Education Committee. Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, serves on the Senate Education Committee and is a career special education teacher. 

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