But during her Jan. 10 address, Reynolds proposed overhauling what are commonly known as AEAs. Her proposal took lawmakers by surprise and touched off the biggest debate so far of this year’s legislative session.

During Saturday morning’s Eggs and Issues forum at Iowa Central Community College, state Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, sought to assure a standing-room only crowd that Reynolds’ proposal isn’t a done deal.

“There’s a long ways between the governor’s speech and a signed law,” he said.

He added that any AEA proposal will not quickly sail through the Legislature the way the bill creating Education Savings Accounts did last year.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
State Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, answers an audience question Saturday morning during the Eggs and Issues legislative forum in the Meeting Room of the Triton Cafe at Iowa Central Community College.

State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, said she is opposed to the bill.

“At this point, I don’t know how I will be able to support that unless it is changed significantly,” she said.

“Most in our chamber do not support it at this point,” she added.

Meyer said she could guarantee that no lawmaker saw the AEA bill until the day after Reynolds’ speech.

“The frustration with a lot of legislators, myself included, is that we didn’t know about this any sooner than you did,” said state Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, answers an audience question Saturday morning during the Eggs and Issues legislative forum in the Meeting Room of the Triton Cafe at Iowa Central Community College.

He said he has heard a variety of opinions about AEAs.

“If you’re a parent of a special needs student, you can’t say enough good things about AEAs,” Sexton said.

He said some school district superintendents have said that AEAs are top-heavy with bureaucracy and need to be changed, while other superintendents have said they don’t see a need for change.

“The AEAs are very responsive to our schools as opposed to the Department of Education,” Sexton said.

Reynolds’ plan would put AEAs under the supervision of the Department of Education.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
State Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, answers an audience question Saturday morning during the Eggs and Issues legislative forum in the Meeting Room of the Triton Cafe at Iowa Central Community College.

The governor’s proposal

Reynolds proposed narrowing the focus of AEAs to special education only and putting them under the Department of Education.

As part of her plan, school districts would no longer have to pay the local AEA for special education services. Her proposal would enable the districts to keep the special education money they receive from the state and use it to pay the AEA or whatever other agency the school board selects to provide services.

Kraayenbrink said Reynolds will introduce an amendment today stating that AEAs would continue to receive the money they now get to provide services for children up to age 3. He said that amounts to $177 million.

He said better outcomes for special education students is the ultimate goal of the governor’s proposal.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Saturday morning's Eggs and Issues legislative forum was well attended with many of those concerned about Gov. Kim Reynold's Area Education Agency legislation.

According to Kraayenbrink, national test scores show Iowa’s special education students are falling behind.

“Iowa is showing a large proficiency gap of 41 percent and if we don’t change this by this fall, Biden’s DOE can step in and start running the special education services to our students,” he said, referring to the U.S. Department of Education.

Included in the bill is Reynolds’ proposal to increase teacher pay. Her plan calls for setting starting pay at $50,000, with a $62,000 minimum for teachers with 12 or more years of experience.

Meyer said she doesn’t think teacher pay should be in the bill at all because it is a completely different subject.

Sexton said the teacher pay plan will have a lot of unintended consequences. He said the $50,000 figure “ratchets everything else up from there.”

A separate high profile proposal impacting education isn’t likely to pass, the lawmakers generally agreed Saturday.

A House subcommittee last week passed a bill that would require students and teachers at Iowa public schools to sing at least one verse of the national anthem every day, and to sing all four verses on patriotic occasions.

“I don’t think that bill has any legs,” Meyer said.

Eggs and Issues is sponsored by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance and Iowa Central Community College. About 60 people attended Saturday’s forum.