429 employees have left Iowa Area Education Agencies since reforms went into effect

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – A new report from Iowa Democrats in the legislature shows hundreds of employees have left Area Education Agencies since reforms went into effect.

In the last legislative session, Republicans changed how they are funded and what their functions are. They also gave more oversight to the Iowa Department of Education.

The report shows that 429 staff members have left the AEA system since Gov. Kim Reynolds’ reforms went into effect. State Sen. Pam Jochum of Dubuque said, “We warned this would happen and this is exactly what is happening.”

State Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque said, “There are 429 fewer professionals on the ground providing vital services to children in our public schools.”

There is no change in funding for special education services, but next year 10% of state funding will go directly to districts rather than AEAs.

Jochum says 56 special education employees have already left Grant Wood AEA in Cedar Rapids. “When 56 special education people leave an AEA and they can only replace 15 of those 56, sooner or later that’s going to have a direct impact on the special needs children that are in our school system,” Jochum said.

This year, districts will control 60 percent of funding for general education and media services. Next year, districts will receive 100 percent.

At a news conference last week, Gov. Reynolds insisted that the reforms are working. “If they want to continue using AEA the same way they did before, they can continue to do that. Nothing has changed,” Reynolds said. “People have changed. They have decided that this is going to work. We’re going to be accountable. We’re going to be transparent. We’re going to get funding into the classrooms.”

But what do AEAs say about how the changes are playing out? We spoke to Dan Cox of Northwest AEA, who says that since the school year has just started, it’s too early to tell.

“In terms of our staff, you know, we have fewer staff at AEA and across the AEA system, and we’re still providing the same services. So, I think for us and for our school partners, it’s just a matter of adjusting to this new landscape,” Cox said.

Northwest has 32 fewer employees this year than last year, which represents an 11 percent drop in staff. “We had to make some reductions. For example, we moved our creative services department to a neighboring AEA. But other than that, we have the same services we were offering. We just have fewer people doing that,” he said.

In a statement, Gov. Reynolds’ press secretary Mason Mauro said resources will naturally change over time.

“While the governor and her team were in northwest Iowa celebrating the return of students to school after a natural disaster, Democrats were looking back and telling Iowans half-truths about special education reform. They are stoking fear, but here are the facts: funding for special education or any educational services has not been cut; it has been handed over to local school districts to control. Some schools have hired former AEA employees, while others have chosen to continue working with AEAs. As schools decide how to best use their resources to serve their special needs students, resources will naturally shift. That is the intent: to strengthen the educational experience for all students, including those receiving special education services,” Mauro said.

Cox says that as these changes develop, he will look to have the AEA working group begin meeting and look for ways to bring more stability to the AEA system.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at [email protected]; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks Television or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

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