BOONE, Iowa—State Senator Jerry Behn took part in a legislative visit with members from the School Boards for Boone, Ogden and United as well as the Superintendents for all three districts Wednesday. Ogden School Board member Camile Sloan-Schroeder had Behn begin by discussing apparent priorities for the session. He did discuss budget issues and concerns and how they will pertain to education during the next session.
The meeting quickly turned to some of the priority issues facing school districts. Mental Health services have become a growing concern locally, especially in early elementary grades. Administrators also brought up the shortage of teachers and other professional educators at many levels. Time was spent talking about special education with appropriate certifications like behavioral disorders, the ongoing effort to find math and science teachers.
There was also discussion about SAVE, the one-cent sales tax that school district’s use for infrastructure. Boone School Superintendent Dr. Brad Manard said he felt Boone County School Boards had been responsible when using the revenue source for facilities. SAVE or Secure and Advanced Vision for Education has been useful in holding the line on property tax asking for bond issues. All indicated they would like to see it extended, but did not advocate total elimination of a sunset clause.
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