Keystone AEA grapples with effects of new legislation
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
As the school year gets underway, Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are grappling with the effects of new state legislation that overhauled their funding structure and responsibilities.
Covering 22 school districts across Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties, Keystone is one of the nine regional AEAs that has long provided special education services, media and curriculum, instruction and assessment and professional development support to Iowa children, families and educators.
For the 2024-2025 school year, House File 2612 allots just 40 percent of the funding for media and educational services to the AEAs, while 60 percent is routed directly to school districts. Schools will receive all of that money next year, as well as 10 percent of AEA special education funding.
This is reflected in an over $1.2 million budget reduction for educational services at Keystone AEA alone, from $2,193,922 in fiscal year 2023-2024 to $899,752 for 2024-2025. Media dropped from $1,969,358 last school year to $807,734 this fiscal year.
According to Keystone AEA, one of the biggest changes is the implementation of district service plans. Keystone staff met with each superintendent so they could order media and educational services for teachers and students to access in the 2024-2025 school year. Superintendents allocated dollars for access to the AEA’s media lending library, IT support and professional learning for teachers.
Superintendents also identified individuals in their schools who have authority to approve additional educational services requests throughout the year. A process is in place for teachers to find out what was purchased by their district and to easily request more services. Teachers are encouraged to contact any AEA staff member when they need help. Schools will not be charged for a call or email seeking support.
Keystone said impact will vary by school district for media and educational services. For 2024-2025, most districts opted to continue with the same media services they previously had, but a few opted for a lesser package. Schools are encouraged to make professional learning requests early to ensure availability. Teachers can access AEA resources by choosing their district from an access page on the Keystone AEA website at www.keystoneaea.org/navigators.
Another area greatly impacted as a result of the legislation was staffing. Data provided by the AEAs shows they have a combined 429 fewer staff than a year ago, with the lowest percentage lost at Keystone AEA.
Keystone is starting this school year with 213 employees, down from 235 for the 2023-2024.
“Despite this decrease, Keystone staff are as committed and passionate as ever about their work and serving students,” the AEA said.
Notably, leadership is being shared this school year with the neighboring Central Rivers AEA in Cedar Falls. This includes chief administrator Stan Rheingans as well as administrator of educational services Tesha Moser-Zimmerman and administrator of special education services Annette Hyde.
Rheingans said it’s been a rush to implement all of the changes required by the legislation.
“It’s hard for our people because they want to jump right in and help,” shared Rheingans. “We’ve focused on service for 50 years and we’ve always answered with, ‘yes, we can.’ Now, we’re providing a service for a fee and we need to say, ‘yes we can, but you’ll need approval from your district. Let’s work through that process together.’”
Keystone AEA leaders will finetune processes and continue conversations with superintendents and school leaders to plan for increasing changes next year.
“We’re seeking an opportunity to create stability,” said Rheingans. “For parents concerned about the changes, we encourage you to stay alert and communicate with your district and AEA about your concerns.”
In a press conference last month, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she proposed overhauling the AEA system in order to increase accountability and bring consistency to the AEA budget. In a statement, she later stressed that funding wasn’t cut, but given directly to school districts for local control.
“As schools decide how to best use their resources to serve their students with special needs, resources will naturally shift. That is the intent—to strengthen the education experience for all students, including students receiving special education services,” Reynolds said.
With this legislation, the Iowa Department of Education will assume oversight of special education services, including creation of a Division of Special Education. Forty education program consultants are also to be hired and placed in AEAs throughout the state.
Additionally, the state’s Legislative Council is required to appoint a task force to study the AEAs and submit a report to lawmakers by the end of this year. To date, no appointments have been made.
