A desire to give students with disabilities a better education is the goal of her proposal to reform Area Agencies on Education, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday afternoon.

“First of all, my focus is doing what is in the best interest of the students and that includes students with disabilities,” she said during a phone interview with The Messenger.

“The intent was never to do away with the AEAs,” she added.

Reynolds said she is not surprised that her proposal, which she introduced during her Condition of the State address, started a big and sometimes contentious debate. And she rebuffed the complaint that her plan will harm rural school districts.

“It absolutely will not hurt rural schools,” she said. “That is a scare tactic they are trying to do.”

According to Reynolds, $529 million goes to AEAs every year. She added that there is no oversight or accountability for that money.

That $529 million is federal and state money passed through school districts to AEAs for special education and other services.

A key element of Reynolds’ proposal would give the school districts control over most of that money, about $294 million. The districts could then use that money to pay the AEAs for those services or pay another provider to do the work once done by the AEAs.

The remaining $177 million would still go to AEAs.

The governor said test scores provide evidence that the system for delivering special education needs to be changed.

She said that for 20 years, Iowa has consistently performed below the national average for students with disabilities. She added that the U.S. Department of Education lists Iowa as a state in need of assistance on special education.

“The system is failing our kids,” she said.

“We can’t keep doing the same thing, hoping for different results,” she added.

On Wednesday, an amended version of the governor’s proposal was approved by a subcommittee in the state Senate.

“We made some great movement,” she said.

The state House of Representatives has taken no action on the proposal.

Key provisions

Here are key provisions of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ amended plan for Area Agencies on Education:

School districts get control of their state and federal special education money.

AEAs will be allowed to provide special education, education and media services.

The state Department of Education will oversee AEAs.

The state Department of Education will appoint the executive directors of the AEAs.

The state government will assume ownership of any real estate now owned by AEAs.

The Iowa Department for the Blind will assume ownership of any assistive technology for visually impaired students now owned by the AEAs.

Fund distributions

Here is a listing of how much special education money local school districts would have control over if Gov. Kim Reynolds’ AEA reform plan becomes law:

Algona — $995,295

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows — $591,891

Eagle Grove — $604,147

East Sac County — $511,603

Emmetsburg — $460,472

Fort Dodge — $2,448,573

Gilmore City-Bradgate — $119,310

Humboldt — $740,637

Laurens-Marathon — $190,007

Manson Northwest Webster — $375,702

Pocahontas Area — $433,925

South Central Calhoun — $541,680

South Hamilton — $351,059

Southeast Valley — $683,398

Webster City — $1,040,227