March Madness is here. And it’s made its way to the State Capitol.

The big surprise since the beginning of the 2024 session has been the Governor’s proposal to reduce mental health, special education, reading recovery and other services provided to kids through Area Education Agencies (AEAs).

When the bill first came out back in January, it came as a shock to many because the Governor hadn’t talked to Iowa parents with kids who use those services or the educators delivering those services. After Iowans and lawmakers learned the changes were recommended by an out-of-state private company without any input from Iowans, the shock was replaced with anger and it ignited a firestorm at the Capitol.

Iowans all over the state began contacting lawmakers and registering their opposition to the bill through email, phone calls, and in-person at forums. The opposition has been particularly strong in rural areas, where AEAs are a lifeline for some smaller school districts to provide the extra services some of their kids need.

While Iowans were voicing their strong opposition to her bill, the Governor plotted her next move. First, she began demanding support from GOP lawmakers and then she started visiting schools to pressure school leaders into supporting her plan. Turns out the Governor just wanted to play politics and have it her way. She didn’t bother listening to the parents and educators who had concerns about her bill.

On the last day of February with one vote to spare, the House passed a different version of the AEA bill over the strong opposition of Iowans and a bi-partisan group of lawmakers. A few weeks later, Senate GOP leaders pushed through yet another version of the AEA bill which was more closely aligned with the Governor’s proposed cuts, but also had bi-partisan opposition.

Last week, rumors were flying around the State Capitol about what would happen next as the Governor and legislative leaders huddled behind closed doors. Finally, on Thursday just before 4 pm, House GOP leaders shared their latest idea with the public – it was 49 pages of changes and additions to the bill.

A few minutes after the new plan went public, House GOP leaders used a procedural move to shut down debate and force a vote at 6:30 pm sharp. While we scrambled to review the final version to understand what we were going to vote on, I knew school leaders and the general public certainly wouldn’t have enough time to understand what the new bill did let alone contact their state lawmakers about it.

When it came down to finally passing the bill, GOP leaders decided that politics was more important than listening to the families and educators caught in the middle. They even claimed “wins” from their latest negotiations with the Governor. They lost sight of what was actually important here – our kids.

It was maddening and it’s yet another reason why Iowans are so frustrated with politics these days. I don’t blame them. They expect honesty and transparency from their elected officials and, on the biggest issues of the session so far, they didn’t get it.

After the bill barely passed again with just 51 votes, it was sent back over the Iowa Senate. It’s unclear if the Senate has agreed to this, plans to make changes, or just scraps the whole bill.

I hope the Senate decides to scrap it and end the madness. Iowa Democrats (and many Republicans as well) believe there should be a comprehensive study of AEAs that includes all the stakeholders – Iowa parents, Iowa educators, Iowa service providers – to recommend improvements or changes to the system for lawmakers to consider next session.

With just three weeks left in session, we’re getting short on time and it’s too risky to put our kids at risk without a well-developed plan. We just can’t afford to leave any kid behind.

It’s about putting people over politics.

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Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, is the Iowa House Minority Leader.