Forum heavy on education

State Senator Dennis Guth and State Representative Tedd Gassman took a break from Des Moines last Friday to meet with their constituents across Winnebago County. One stop was at The Mills Theater, in Lake Mills, where they were met by just under 12 concerned citizens and talked about issues ranging from education to Medicare, and others.
Gassman told the crowd that the Supplemental Spending Authority bill had passed the house and was ready to move on. The bill calls for a one percent increase in state supplemental aid, which was less than many school adminitrators were hoping for, after being roughly at that same amount the last several years. However, those school officials did receive a bit of good news, as Gassman also reported that the legislature is also looking to make the equalization of transportation costs a part of any final SSA package.
It was noted that Lake Mills spends roughly $600 per student to get them to and from school, while the state average is much closer to $300. Some metropolitan districts come in much lower than the state average figure, as their districts as relatively small in geographic size. The goal of the equalization attempt is to give monetary relief to small, rural districts, who are above the average.
Lake Mills Superintendent, Chad Kohagen, who was present at the meeting, noted that he had heard the relief would happen with a 10-year phase-in before equalization was fully implemented. The legislators were unaware of any specific time frame for full implementation.
In other education related news, the legislators reported that due to revenue shortfalls and inaccurate estimates they had received, they are looking for reductions in community college budgets for 2018.
Both men noted they are hearing better reports on the privately managed Medicare program the state adopted, but continued to express their willingness to intercede on behalf of constituents that need assistance.