(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says he’s concerned about the length of time the Iowa attorney general is spending on reviewing the practice of using the Crime Victims’ Compensation fund to pay for emergency contraception. Sand, a Democrat, expressed concern there’s been nothing released since Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird paused the policy when she took office in January of last year. “This is her decision on day one, to quit paying for emergency contraception for sexual assault survivors. And the word salad around that decision, and around what is going on, is nothing more than a way to reduce the clarity of that fact,” Sand says. Sand says he doesn’t understand why the payments were targeted for review.

“Her consistent use of the word audit has led to questions. So let’s be abundantly clear here. The Attorney General has never asked us to audit payments for sexual assault survivors for emergency contraception,” Sand says. “We are not performing any such audit and there is no third party performing any such audit. There is no audit going on here. There might be an internal review.”

Sand says he doesn’t understand what the Attorney General is doing this.

(Radio Iowa) – A former Republican leader in the U-S House who’s now a leading critic of former President Donald Trump spoke to a crowd at Drake University’s last (Wednesday) night. Liz Cheney says the U-S Supreme Court should reject Trump’s claims that as president he had legal immunity and let him stand trial on federal election conspiracy charges.  “It cannot be the case that a president of the United States can attempt to overturn an election and seize power and that our justice system is incapable of holding a trial, of holding him to account before the next election,” Cheney said.

In 2021, Cheney was the third ranking Republican in the U-S House when she voted to impeach Trump and the following year she lost her bid for reelection to a fellow Republican. Cheney has said she’ll travel the country this year, especially in swing states, to campaign against Trump. “I certainly have policy disagreements with the Biden Administration. I know the nation can survive bad policy. We can’t survive a president who is willing to torch the Constitution,” Cheney said, to cheers.

Cheney told the crowd in Des Moines that defeating Trump in 2024 isn’t the end goal, however. “It’s going to be necessary for all of us to decide we’re not going to just be bystanders,” Cheney says. “I can talk about what I’m going to do, but I think it’s much more important to talk about what we all have to do.”

Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Cheney has done nothing but tear at the fabric of the party and alienate G-O-P voters.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education held the first of two hearings on both the 2024-25 Proposed District Budget, as published, and the proposed 2024-25 School Calendar.

During the Budget Hearing, only one Atlantic resident, Barbara Stensvad spoke in opposition to the proposed budget. Stensvad said she’s lived in Atlantic for nearly 35 years, and owns two properties, including a B&B. “I consented, however many decades ago, to have my taxes increased for the building of [the High School]. I also agreed to have my taxes increased for our new quarter-of-a million dollar fire engine, so I’m not always ‘anti-tax.”

She said however, “I significantly protest an increase in ANY of this property tax, starting for the Fiscal Year of July 1, 2024. My property taxes have already been escalating over the decade. I feel that there are already too many taxes burdening the residents of Atlantic: The State Sales Tax; The Local Option Sales Tax; The Lodging Tax; The Department of Transportation Tax; Fuel Taxes; Utility Taxes; Storm Water Tax; Employment Tax; Death and Inheritance Taxes.”

Stansvad said “Once taxes are instituted, they are always increasing and never retired. The policy of ‘Tax and Spend’ must stop. The rational of living within your means must be observed.” She concluded by saying, “It’s saddens me that nobody else is here” (to voice their concerns and opinions).

Atlantic resident Barbara Stensvad objects to the proposed ACSD Budget.

Board President Kristy Pellett reminded patrons of the District that there will be a second hearing on the Budget before it is passed.

There were no public comments during a hearing on the school calendar. Following the hearings, the Atlantic School Board went into a Work Session, during which they heard from District Maintenance Director, Russell Peck, with regard to Summer Projects. The Board discussed Summer Programs, and heard information with regard to the District’s Management, SAVE, PPEL and Debt Service Funds, and their respective functions.

Director of Finance/Board Secretary Lisa Jones reported that, as a result of a 2.5% increase for schools approved Wednesday by the Iowa Legislature, the District’s Property Tax asking (Levy) will be down slightly from the previously published rate of $12.92538/$1,000 assessed valuation. The new proposed rate is $12.91524/$1,000, a difference of $5,700.

The Board’s next REGULAR meeting is at 5:30-p.m. on April 10th, in the High School Media Center.

(Radio Iowa) – Two private citizens and the Iowa Freedom of Information Council are asking the legislature to investigate Davenport’s refusal to provide information about settlements with three city employees. Davenport is suing to prevent the State Auditor from getting access to documents related to the nearly two-million dollars worth of settlements agreed to before the Davenport City Council met in public to approve the payouts. Michael Meloy is an attorney for a Davenport man who’s also being sued by the city over his attempt to obtain public records.

“Something doesn’t smell right here, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “Why is the city fighting so hard to keep these matters from the public eye?” This past fall, the city attorney signed off on settlements with two city employees in September and another settlement in October for the city administrator. All are related to alleged workplace harassment, but the settlements were not announced by the city until late November.

Iowa Freedom of Information Council executive director Randy Evans says these details should trouble every Iowa citizen — and every legislator. “In the city election in November, Davenport voters reelected the incumbent mayor and two incumbent members of the city council,” Evans says. “We will never know if the results of that election would have been different had voters know before they went to the polls that their city council had supposedly consented to these $2 million in lucrative settlements.”

David Sidran, of Davenport, is being sued by the city for asking for a document written by the city administrator that’s related to her settlement. “I just had the audacity to legally request a document and I was sued by the city where I live,” he said.

Members of the House Oversight Committee say these alleged violations of Iowa’s open meetings and open records law are horrific, disgusting and disturbing and the panel will decide later whether to launch an investigation. A spokesperson for the City of Davenport declined to comment.

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that raises teacher salaries, increases general state spending for schools and overhauls Iowa’s Area Education Agencies.

“Some schools haven’t used some of the AEA services, despite being forced to pay for them,” Reynolds said. “Others have felt that they didn’t receive the quality that they expect.”

The new law puts local districts in control of some funding that currently flows directly to the AEAs and gives state officials more authority to oversee special education. Schools will still be required to use the AEA’s special education consultants, but districts will be able to spend 10 percent of their special education allotment elsewhere, plus districts will have the option of redirecting money that currently pays for other AEA services, like teacher training.

“Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Education has designated Iowa as ‘needs assistance’ to meet the requirements of federal law related to special education,” Reynolds said. “…This legislation intends to resolve these issues.”

Reynolds held a ceremony in her capitol office and was surrounding by Republican legislators and key staff as she signed the bill into law. House Education Committee chairman Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull, helped lead House negotiations with educators, parents and advocates for both large and small schools that resulted in changes to the governor’s original bill.

“We held numerous meetings with everyone and worked with all sides to come to an agreement that is a win for education in our state,” Wheeler said.

Senate Education Committee chairman Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, said the fee-for-service model in the new law provides accountability and transparency and gives schools a way to judge the value of AEA services.

Governor Reynolds signs HF2612 into law on March 27, 2024. (RI photo)

“The AEAs have done a tremendous amount of good for many, many years in Iowa and all of us are appreciative of that,” Rozenboom said, “but the world has changed since the AEAs were created in 1974 and reform is needed.”

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst said the new law is universally unpopular and it will be an issue for voters in November. “Think about the fmailies who have so much uncertainty now as they’re wondering about what will happen to the services in their communities,” Konfrst said. “What will happen to their kids who are getting AEA services? There are so many questions.”

Other elements of the new law will raise beginning teacher pay to $50,000 within two years and veteran teachers must be paid at least $62,000 a year if they’ve been teaching for at least 12 years. Paraeducators are to get raises as well.