Davenport school leaders got their chance to tell state officials, including Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, about the harsh impact the state’s funding formula is having on their district.
Superintendent Dr. Art Tate said he would break state law, if that's what it takes, to avoid massive budget cuts for the Davenport Community School District, and he says the state funding formula is to blame for the predicament.
Tate made the announcement of his plan in March 2015, saying Davenport gets $175 less, per student, than districts like Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf. Davenport schools have $29 million in reserves, but the state has not authorized them to spend that money.
In their meeting with Governor Branstad on Wednesday, Davenport school officials pushed for State Senate Bill 1254, which would give the Davenport School District $175 more in spending authority for each student. If the bill was passed, it would open up $3 million for the district that already has a tight budget.
"We were only supposed to get 15-minutes [with the Governor] and instead we got 25-minutes," said Dr. Tate. "He listened very intently, he knows the issues, and he certainly promised us that he would look at any legislation that came to his desk."
Davenport School officials also met with other lawmakers in Des Moines, such as Iowa Speaker of the House, Kraig Paulsen, who agreed the state funding formula was unfair for Davenport.
"It's obviously a hold over from some legislation that was put in place many years ago," Paulsen said. "There's clearly an unfairness about the existing system and my hope is we'll find an opportunity to address it"
Davenport school officials are pushing to get the bill passed before the session ends on May 1st. Right now the bill is past the State Senate Education Committee, but has not been picked up by either the State House or State Senate.
"We came here with the intent of helping the Governor understand our bill and that he would say, 'Okay guys, where do I sign?' He didn't do that," said Rich Clewell, Davenport School Board member. "Our hope is, either through Ways and Means, or Appropriations, we'll still find the light of day for Senate Study Bill 1254."
Tate and several school board members were in Des Moines Wednesday, April 8, 2015. WQAD News 8 reporter Caroline Reinwald was also there, sharing live updates all day.