Iowa Lawmakers Propose 1.75% K-12 Funding Increase, Sparking Backlash

Education advocates warn the low funding boost could lead to budget struggles for public schools across the state.

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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Iowa Senate Republicans have advanced legislation that would increase the state's general K-12 school funding level for the next school year by just 1.75 percent. Education advocates strongly criticized the proposal, calling it "wholly" and "pitifully" inadequate and warning it could force difficult budget decisions for school districts as state funding lags behind inflation.

Why it matters

The level of state funding for K-12 education is a perennial political issue in Iowa, with Democrats typically pushing for higher increases to keep up with rising costs, while Republicans have favored more modest boosts. This latest proposal highlights the ongoing tensions between lawmakers and education advocates over the appropriate level of school funding.

The details

The 1.75% funding increase proposed by Senate Republicans would be the eighth time in the last 10 years that state K-12 funding has lagged behind inflation, according to education advocates. They warned the low increase could force school districts to make tough budget choices to cover rising costs for utilities, insurance, and other expenses. The legislation does include some other school funding mechanisms, such as preventing local property tax increases and providing extra per-pupil funding to address inequities.

  • The Iowa legislative session started on January 12, 2026.
  • Iowa law requires K-12 education funding to be set by the Legislature within the first 30 days of the legislative session.

The players

Iowa Senate Republicans

The majority party in the Iowa Senate who have advanced the 1.75% K-12 funding increase proposal.

Rachella Dravis

A Fort Madison school board member who criticized the funding proposal during legislative testimony.

Kylie Spies

A lobbyist for the progressive advocacy group Common Good Iowa, who said the proposal would be the eighth year in the last 10 that state K-12 funding has lagged inflation.

Iowa Sen. Herman Quirmbach

A Democratic senator from Ames who criticized the funding proposal and declined to support advancing it.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds

The Republican governor of Iowa who proposed a 2% increase in general K-12 school funding in her budget proposal.

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What they’re saying

“I know that you say, 'Oh, we're funding you.' You're not. You really are not.”

— Rachella Dravis, Fort Madison school board member (thegazette.com)

“(A funding increase of) 1.75 percent just does not mean new money for a lot of districts. It's hard to keep up with the cost of inflation, just the cost of doing business in a school district, utilities and then insurance costs go way up every year. So a lot of this new money, if we can get it, is eaten up by those costs.”

— Michelle Johnson, Lobbyist, Iowa Association of School Boards (thegazette.com)

What’s next

The funding proposal will next be considered by the full Iowa Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.

The takeaway

This debate over K-12 funding levels highlights the ongoing political tensions in Iowa over education spending, with Democrats pushing for higher increases to keep up with costs and Republicans favoring more modest boosts. The outcome could have significant impacts on public schools' budgets and their ability to cover rising expenses.