Culver signs law to help rural Iowa schools share staff

By Todd Dorman QUAD-CITY TIMES | Thursday, May 10, 2007

DES MOINES — Rural schools could receive state incentives for sharing staff or programs under legislation signed by Gov. Chet Culver Wednesday.

The bill, Senate File 447, provides $400,000 to schools that enter into sharing arrangements with nearby districts. The goal, according to backers, is to beef up curriculum at schools that lack the staff or resources to expand programs.

“Basically, the bottom line is to look at our smaller schools to see whether they can share a teacher to provide more opportunities for their kids,” said Sen. Frank Wood, D-Eldridge, a school administrator at North Scott who chairs the Senate Education Committee.

Wood concedes that the notion of sharing incentives to rural schools has stirred controversy in the past.

“It does take a look at the potential for consolidation, even though people don’t like to use that word,” Wood said. “It may lead to that.”

Culver’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Vilsack, tried and failed in recent years to convince lawmakers that sharing incentives were needed. His efforts sparked a series of campaign ads accusing him and fellow Democratic lawmakers of trying to force small schools to consolidate.

This year, with Democrats in control of the House and Senate, the bill faced less opposition. It was approved 48-1 in the Senate and 82-16 in the House during the final days of the 2007 session.

Rep. Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, supports sharing incentives but voted against the bill. She argues that the legislation fails to set clear guidelines on how state dollars would be handed out.

Upmeyer said she disagrees with backers of the bill who argued its cost would be limited because few districts will apply.

“I think lots of schools will do it,” Upmeyer said.

Todd Dorman can be contacted at (515) 243-0138 or at todd.dorman@lee.net.