School Start Date

On Friday, December 12th Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck sent a letter to Iowa schools informing them that waivers to the school start date requirement would no longer automatically be granted. Effective immediately, individual waiver requests will only be granted if there is evidence of “a significant negative educational impact” by following the required start date. Director Buck additionally stated that clarification to the criteria to be used for granting a waiver will come from the Department of Education in January.

I support the concept of local decision-making and local control regarding the school start date. Local school boards, staff members and patrons are in the best position to determine the optimal start date for their communities. These decisions are made for educational reasons, while considering their communities’ and school district's needs and circumstances.

I believe that this is an important issue of local control. We should not be distracted from the more important issues facing our schools. 

I personally have always held to the belief that how we lay out the school calendar is one of the least impactful things we do in education.  Pedagogy, appropriate and timely resources, a guaranteed and viable curriculum all rank far above when we start and end our school year.

As a reminder, the current law states that schools can start their year no earlier than the Monday during the week that Sept 1st falls.  Schools have been allowed to apply for waivers which are to be board approved at a public hearing, which means that the public has an opportunity to weigh in on the subject prior to the board taking action.  

Also, keep in mind that (assuming my numbers are correct) currently there are only two school districts in the state that do not apply for the early start waiver. I think this speaks volumes.

If this is an important issue to you, either way. Please contact your state representaive, and/or state senator eith your opinions and input.  Since this has come down from the Governor's office, a note or email to Governor Brandstads office and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck is recommended as well.

School Funding and the Foundation Formula

Taxpayers often ask, and rightfully so, how Iowa spends the nearly $4 billion earmarked for the state’s public education system. Earlier, we ran the first in a series of articles dedicated to helping taxpayers understand how those dollars are being spent to educate nearly 474,000 students throughout the state. Today we’ll discuss how those dollars are divided.

When it comes to school funding, the state legislature tries to ensure all children receive a quality education based on roughly the same amount of per pupil funding throughout the state. That’s where the school finance formula comes in. This formula relies on a combination of state aid and property taxes to fund education. The amount of state aid each district receives depends on how much it brings in through local property taxes. If the state relied solely on property taxes to fund schools, some districts would be able to raise a lot of money with a very small property tax rate, while others would raise a smaller amount of money on a much larger property tax rate.

This was almost exactly the situation Iowa found itself in over 35 years ago. Before the early 70s districts relied primarily on property taxes for school funding.  However due to the wide range of property tax rates funding districts and concern over the disparity in funding per child, lawmakers instituted a formula to address both of these issues, setting a maximum and “equal” cost per student. All districts are required to levy a uniform levy of $5.40 and then the state funds an additional amount up to a certain level (called the foundation level). Beyond that foundation level, local property taxes are levied to fund the remainder of the difference.

The Iowa Association of School Board’s education finance co-director, Patti Schroeder, explained that school funding is basically made up of three layers. “The first layer is local property taxes determined by the Uniform Levy,” Schroeder said. “The middle layer is state aid and the top layer is additional local property taxes. The mix of all three of these is set by a formula over which the local district has little control.”

Our two districts have a property valuation per pupil that is above the state average. This means our Uniform Levy of $5.40 generates more dollars and we get less state aid as a result. However, our Additional Property Tax Levy rate is lower than the average, so our additional levy rate can be lower and generate the same dollars as other districts because of our higher property valuation."

While the state partially equalizes tax rates through the school finance formula, significant deviations still affect how much each district receives from the state. The lowest combined tax rate for a school district is $7.48 for the current fiscal year and the highest is $21.66, making that a difference of $14.18 per thousand.

The Alta Community School District combined tax rate is currently $11.98.  The Aurelia Community School District combined tax rate is currently $9.95.  Both well below the state average.

Regardless of the financial situation of the local school district, a large portion of the district's tax rate is set by formula and there is little the local school board members or administrators can do about it. However, Iowa law does make allowances for growth and inflation from year-to-year.

We’ll discuss the concept of “allowable growth” in a future article in our series explaining school finance.

Current Enrollments Impact School Funding

Every year public schools in Iowa spend billions of dollars to educate children, sparking taxpayers to often ask school board members, administrators and lawmakers: “Where does that money go?” That’s why part of the Alta Community School District and Aurelia Community School District’s mission is to help taxpayers understand how districts are spending that money, in an attempt to dispel the mysteries surrounding school funding. Knowing how the state school funding formula works is important in helping understand the pressures facing local school districts. Because the formula is based on the number of children enrolled in the district, as we gain children, we gain revenues to serve those children and, if enrollment declines, we also lose revenue.

While the area of school finance is complex, some basic principles make it understandable to the average citizen, including:

1. The number of children enrolled in each district determines a district’s budget/revenues.
2. The General Assembly through the finance formula “equalizes” funding statewide so the “cost per student” is roughly the same in every district and every student has access to a quality education.
3. The Governor recommends the annual change in per pupil allowable growth.  The General Assembly is responsible for passing legislation to establish the annual increase in the “cost per student/allowable growth”.
4. Property taxes matter. They determine how much money each district receives in state aid.
5. Funds are restricted. We can only use funds on what the legislature tells us we can.
6. Schools are budget limited. Most other public entities are property tax rate limited. This difference is monumental.

Iowa’s school funding formula is a child-based formula, meaning that the allowable spending for a school district is based upon the number of children enrolled in that district on October 1 of each year. The number of students counted on that day is used to establish the district’s budget for the following year. This means our revenues are always a year behind the actual number of children we are serving in our classrooms. For the Alta Community School District, our October 1 enrollment is 510 for the current year, which is nearly identical to last year's actual enrollment.  But, the total number of students provided instruction by the district increased by 27 students this year. For the Aurelia Community School District, our October 1 enrollment is 244.7 for the current year, which is up 2.3 students from last year  But, the total number of students provided instruction by the district decreased by 15 students.

Why the different enrollment figures (actual enrollment compared to number of student provided instruction)?  The actual enrollment is all of a district's resident students that attend school, plus all the open enroll out/tuition out students.  The total number of students provided instruction are the actual number of students in the building (resident students, plus the all of open enroll in/tuition in students).  So, as open enrollment in and out of a district changes and the number of resident students attending changes, so changes  the total number of students provided education for a district.

Because the enrollment for our districts have been relatively stable over the past four years, we’ve been fortunate that our budgets have been stable as well. However, if enrollment declines in the future, along with increasing costs, we will be faced with the prospect of reduced resources to serve the needs of our district. This could result in personnel reductions and have an impact on programs.

It's More Than Reading And Writing

Most parents know that reading and writing is so important for children. How words help us to understand our world and make the most of opportunities is much more than reading and writing. This is called literacy.

The word literacy often makes people think of school and many parents expect that literacy will be taught to their children once they start school. Children do not wait until they start school to develop literacy skills. From birth, babies and children are learning all the time.

Literacy is a part of everyone’s daily life. The experiences that are given to children influence their knowledge and understanding of their world.

Children need opportunities to practice the skills they know and are able to do in order to become confident learners. In everyday activities and in your relationship with your children, you have a wonderful opportunity to help them develop literacy skills.

Literacy was once seen as reading and writing. Now literacy is seen as much more; it is language we use in:

• speaking and listening
• reading and watching
• drawing and writing.

Literacy development begins in the family and continues in families and communities as well as in schools.

Years of research show clearly that children are more likely to succeed in learning when their families actively support them. When you and other family members read with your children, help them with homework, talk with their teachers, and participate in school or other learning activities, you give your children a tremendous advantage.

Other than helping your children to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that you can do for them is to help them develop their literacy skills. It is no exaggeration to say that how well children learn to read and write affects directly not only how successful they are in school but how well they do throughout their lives. When children learn to read and write, they have the keys that open the door to all the knowledge of the world. 

The foundation for developing literacy skills is in place long before children enter school and begin formal reading instruction. You and your family help to create this foundation by talking, listening, and reading to your children every day and by showing them that you value, use, and enjoy reading in your lives.

You could say that your child starts on the road to becoming literate on the day they’re born and first hears the sounds of your voice. Every time you speak to your child, sing to your child, and respond to the sounds that they makes, you strengthen your child's understanding of language. With you to guide them, they are well on their way to literacy.

To understand the connection between a child's early experiences with spoken language and literacy, you might think of language as a four-legged stool. The four legs are talking, listening, reading, and writing. All four legs are important; each leg helps to support and balance the others.  

Talk with and listen to your child. Read together with them. Help your child learn about books and print. Take advantage of the public libraries. Encourage your child’s early writing efforts. These are all ways to support the development of literacy skills in your children.

As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. You don't need to be the best reader to help—your time and interest and the pleasure that you share with your child as part of reading together are what counts. For more ways to help develop reading, writing, and over all literacy skills with your child, contact their classroom teachers. They are more than willing to support and encourage your efforts at home as we work together to open the world of knowledge for your child’s future.

Stuffing Their Backpacks

John Dewey said, "Education is not preparation for life. Education is life."

     There are few professions where you can see the impact of your work so vividly. There aren't many jobs where hero, friend and mentor are part of the job description. There are few careers that have such a lasting impact on an entire generation.

     I like teaching. I like learning about teaching. And I especially like reading others' teaching philosophies. I love it when teachers select analogies-teaching is like lighting a bonfire, or teaching is like giving students wings-that explain, instruct and inspire.

     For me, teaching is a little like stuffing a backpack. You know the ones I mean-the heavy-duty, oversize backpacks that students shoulder down the halls of our schools. In these metaphorical backpacks, students carry with them the knowledge and skills they will need for their journey through life. When students enter our classrooms, their backpacks have already been partially filled by families, life experiences and other instructors. The backpacks are deep and sometimes it's hard to see what they are carrying in there.

     Through our teaching, we attempt to place items in our student' backpacks. All children do not arrive to school with a backpack full of the same experiences, nor are they all equally full. When students first enter our classrooms, we must determine what is in the backpack and begin filling from there. We add the foundations of language, reading, mathematics, the mechanics of writing and skill development. We pack in sharing and caring, character development, listening skills. Art, music and physical wellness are placed in the pack as well.

     By this time, the students' backpacks are pretty full, but we're not done yet. Our next job is to expand their backpacks so that more will fit in them. We do this by asking them to analyze, question and think.

     As children grow and mature, we ask them to look at what is in their backpacks and apply the items to real world situations. Sometimes, we can actually see their backpacks grow in class as they experience new ways of thinking about an issue. And sometimes students have to discard something from the bottom of their backpacks that has lain there, unexamined, for many years to make room for a new idea.

     The good thing about stuffing a backpack is that it is a lot of fun. We also know that as soon as students are out of our sight, they dump things out of the backpack to lighten the load. With these characteristics in mind, we can't just force items into the backpack. We have to get students to want to carry our backpack stuffers around. So we try new things in teaching. What do students discard? How can we get items to stick around longer in the backpack? Will this exercise expand that backpack or not? Mistakes are okay, because we can always try again. In addition, we find that the students might not notice how heavy the backpack has become if the stuffing process is interesting and even entertaining.

National Teacher Day

Tuesday, May 6, 2014, is National Teacher Day. Thank a teacher for making public schools great!

Teachers in Alta, Aurelia, and in communities across the nation will be in the spotlight on National Teacher Day, as students, parents, school administrators and the general public learn how teachers are making Great Public Schools for every student.

Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do. National Teacher Day is a good time to learn about the contributions educators make to our community every day. Teachers recognize they are role models. That brings satisfaction. It also brings responsibility. It's time to take it to the next step.

We all have to work together to make our schools even better.  That means everyone in the community. Parents, business owners, retirees, other workers, local government, and yes students. Public schools are at the heart of any community. When there are problems, we address them. When there are kudos, we share them.

Community involvement brings learning to life.  This is an opportunity for all of us to reach out to each other. I ask the community to learn about how we advocate for high standards for students, fair and meaningful evaluations of their work, and resources that go directly to the classroom. Better than an apple or a thank you card, a community’s active support of the work we mutually do to teach and care for the community’s students would be ample reward.

Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy

Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL)

What is a Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy and why does the Alta School District need a voter approved 67 Cent Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL)?

Public schools in Iowa have a number of funding streams and each of these come with specific guidelines on how these funds might be utilized by the school.  Specifically, the Alta School District is in need of funds for building ground improvement/upkeep, athletic facility improvements/upkeep, elementary boiler replacement, tuck pointing repairs, technology/student computer updates and improvements, purchase of buses/vehicles for safe student transportation. 

            

These types of brick and mortar projects and equipment purchases are purchased using the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy and our Secure and Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) Fund, which is better known as the "statewide penny sales tax." (Dollars generated through the PPEL levy or SAVE sales tax CAN NOT be used for employee salaries.)

            

Much of the funding generated by the existing board approved PPEL and the statewide SAVE tax have been applied to future payments for building remodel, building additions, as well as,  bus purchase, and maintaining only the facilities, technology and equipment we currently have.  

            

Our district is falling behind on putting updated technology in our teachers and students hands. Additionally, as the preschool has grown and overall student enrollment has remained steady, there is a shortage of available elementary classroom space in our current elementary building.

Why is this the right time to discuss a voter approved 67 Cent Physical Plant and Equipment Levy?

The PPEL is not being put to a vote at this current time, but this is the right time to begin the discussion and starting receiving public feedback on the idea of a voter approved 67 cent PPEL for sometime in the near future.

The need of increased revenue with our PPEL Fund has been present for a number of years.  This explains the continuing need to replace the original elementary boiler, delinquent tuck point of the elementary brick work, damaged sidewalk replacement, and replacement of outdated equipment.  SAVE fund dollars have been wisely used in the Alta School District in the past to pay for building renovations and additions, but those funds are now also stretched thin.

            

The portion of property tax that we pay for the school has dropped from $14.25 in fiscal year 2011 to $12.06 for fiscal year 2015, or a decrease of $2.19. This has been a direct result of gradually lowering the Cash Reserve Levy as the overall district financial position has improved over that same period of time in addition to some increases in property valuation.

           

The district Management Fund has now grown to a position of financial stability which will allow for a possible future decrease in that levy amount, further lowering the overall school property tax rate.

            

Using current taxable valuations the Alta School District would realize over $140,000 in additional revenue annually to utilize on building renovation/maintenance, transportation needs, safety improvements, and enhanced technology equipment.

How much would a 67 Cent voter approved PPEL cost me?

It is important to note the difference between "actual" valuation and "taxable" valuation as the actual tax paid is based on a rollback value.  This becomes the taxable valuation.

            

The expense of a 67cent PPEL for a homeowner with an actual valuation of $100,000 would be approximately $29 annually, or roughly $2.42 a month.

            

Agriculture property owners vary greatly with the number of acres they own and farm. For ease of calculation we will look at the taxable valuation on 100 acres of land using the average assessed valuation for Buena Vista County.  Here again, the assessed valuation and taxable valuation are two different amounts once rollbacks are applied.

            

A voter approved PPEL tax of 0.67 of taxable valuation on 100 acres of BV County ag land would result in a cost of roughly $0.63 per acre or $63 for the year.

How long would this voted PPEL be in place?

A voter approved PPEL tax can only be put in place for ten years.

What are the proposed improvements a successful vote might bring?

Boilers - the existing elementary boiler is original to the building (roughly 50 years old) and is beyond it's useful life. The only boiler for the old high school and gym is under the old high school making renovation for school and community use of the gym/shop area difficult and that particular boiler is about 40 years old.

Transportation - maintaining a modern fleet of vehicles is important for safe student transportation. This not only includes buses, but vans and suburbans. The Alta school board has made this a priority in future budgeting.

School Building Safety - Surveillance and site monitoring equipment for the elementary and high school wings of the building.

Technology - Increased access to mobile laptop labs at the high school and elementary level. Mobile labs of tablet computers (similar to iPads) for the elementary. Improved wireless network throughout the buildings to increase access speed and reliability.

Tuck Pointing - There are areas of the elementary cafeteria walls that wind driven rain can penetrate small cracks in the brick work.  This needs to be tuck pointed to prevent further water damage.

Handicap Accessibility -  If the school wants to continue to use the Roxy Theater, handicap accessibility is a must as it was identified by the Department of Education during the site visit 5 years ago.  If not addressed the school will be required to discontinue use of that building.

Additional information to consider.

Alta's sharing partner, Aurelia, has a voter approved 67 cent PPEL that was recently re-authorized by the Aurelia voters and has been in place a number of years.  This has been used wisely by the Aurelia Board of Education and the revenue received has allowed for improvements in Aurelia facilities to address:

• Handicap accessibility improvements (elevator and ramps),
• School safety improvements (surveillance camera system and monitors, improve fire safety, improved tornado alarm system, new building wide public address system)
• Gymnasium bleacher replacement,
• Construction of a ground floor cafeteria and kitchen,
• Provided for 7 mobile laptop labs for middle school student use,
• Mobile lab of iPads for use primarily for middle school students in 6th grade Science, *Annual roof replacement/repairs.
• New bus purchases
• Community/School Fitness Center
• Fitness Center equipment purchase and replacement.