Governor says Iowa, as a small state, does not need nine AEAs

Governor Kim Reynolds says her push to overhaul Area Education Agencies is designed to address a bloated bureaucracy and 20 years of lagging test scores among Iowa students with disabilities. Reynolds says Iowa is a small state and does not need nine AEAs. Reynolds originally proposed having Iowa’s nine AEAs focus solely on special education services for disabled students, but she’s adjusting her plan to retain other services like a media lending library and curriculum outlines for teachers. The governor’s plan does not call for consolidating the nine A-E-As. It would have the Iowa Department of Education develop a list of approved AEA services schools may choose to use. 

(story by Radio Iowa)