DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has approved legislation that would require children enrolled in the state’s voluntary preschool program to attend regularly. Lawmakers approved the bill Monday, which would make 4-year-olds in the program subject to compulsory attendance rules. The bill would not lower the mandatory attendance age, and parents could choose to withdraw their children from the classes. Supporters say the bill ensures children enrolled in the preschool classes are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Iowa’s preschool program was established in 2007 under former Gov. Chet Culver. More than 20,000 kids were enrolled in the program in the 2011-2012 school year, and 320 districts received program funding. The bill now moves to the state Senate for review.

A facility which is designed to provide Kindergarten through 8^th grade students in the Atlantic Community School District with serious psychiatric conditions a safe and therapeutic environment for evaluation and treatment outside of a regular classroom setting, became a victim of the budget cutting axe Monday. Despite a public hearing on budget, during which several people made impassioned pleas to save the hospital school and make cuts elsewhere, the Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of approving the budget without funding for the Link Center Hospital School for FY 2013-14 at the Cass County Memorial Hospital. The school was created in the mid-1990’s.

None of the board members wanted to cut the funding umbilical cord from the hospital school, but they also didn’t want to risk losing the district’s spending authority by losing a similar amount in what  it would pay to keep the school open, which Superintendent Mike Amstein said in February, would be about $375,000. He said the district cannot continue to lose its spending authority, which has steadily been on the decline for the past five-years, and continue to pay for the school out of the General Fund. Amstein said also, they would have to increase the property tax levy 50-cents above the 10-cent increase already planned for the next fiscal year, based on zero-percent allowable growth, which equates to $14.51 per thousand dollars taxable valuation. The current levy is $14.41. Amstein said the students will continue to be served by the district’s Level 3, or Behavioral Health, program.

He said for those students who the district cannot effectively serve under a Level 3 program, it will look at other day treatment program – if space is available. The bottom line, according to Amstein, is that the district is required to provide a Level 3 program, and they intend to do so. He acknowledged however, that it will provide the same type and quality of service currently provided by the Hospital School, but it “Will look very similar to a Level 3 program,” found in Marshalltown, Des Moines, and elsewhere. Amstein was asked by Board member Rod Hartwig, if there are any other ways the program could be saved, either by grants, and cuts elsewhere, but Amstein said the revenue sources just aren’t there.

Amstein said there is no easy solution to saving the school while at the same time keeping the district in “Solid fiscal shape.” He said the if the board continues to fund the program at current levels, district officials may be called in front of the Iowa Department of Education’s School Budget Review Committee to have a plan developed to address the district’s spending authority issue, which is something he doesn’t want to see happen.

Amstein says if the district loses its spending authority, even if it has the cash, it can’t touch it. He said his decision to recommend cutting funds for the Hospital School was not an easy one, but he and Business Manager/Board Secretary Mary Beth Fast had turned over “every stone” to try and find ways other ways, but were unable to do so, even after talking with an expert in school financing.

An Omaha man charged with felony 1st degree arson and six felony charges of Attempt to Commit murder will not face any prison time. According to court documents, 27-year old William C. Kautter appeared in Cass County District Court Monday and plead guilty to an amended charge of Arson in the 2nd degree. The remaining charges were dismissed. Judge Timothy O’Grady ordered Kautter to be committed to the Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections for a period not to exceed 10-years, and fined $1,000. The judge then suspended both the sentence and fine, and ordered the man placed on two-years of supervised probation. Kautter was ordered to pay all related court costs, attorney’s fees, and restitution to his victims, not to exceed $1,800 altogether. He was given credit for time already served. Kautter’s 29-year old wife Elizabeth was also facing a felony 1st degree arson charge, but those charges were previously dismissed.  All charges stem from a Dec. 2010 residential fire at 601 E. 6th Street, in Atlantic.

The homeowners, Myron and Jolynne Gill, along with one of their adult children and three juveniles, were in the home at the time, but all escaped without injury. Investigators determined gasoline was splashed across the front door and porch of the house and then set aflame. Complaints and Affidavits filed in coordination with the arrest of William and Elizabeth Kautter said prior to the fire, William Kautter had made several harassing phone calls, threatened physical harm and death to the Gill family. In addition, cell phone records showed the Kautter’s had traveled to Iowa from Omaha the night of the fire, and, Elizabeth Kautter was seen purchasing gasoline at an Atlantic area gas station on December 14th, 2010.

Cass County Dan Feistner said the charges were based on strong circumstantial evidence, but there was literally no “smoking gun” tying the defendants to the crime. It was more of a “Connect the dots” type investigation that took place over a long period of time. He said there was an ongoing feud between the defendants and the victims, which is not in dispute, but there is a long “Back story,” including the dealing of drugs, that would not have been a benefit in prosecuting the case.