State lawmakers discuss school start date, supplemental aid

  SHELL ROCK — The school start date and school funding were among topics of interest as Republican state legislators met with Butler County constituents on a cold Saturday, Feb. 14.
  Iowa Sen. Bill Dix and Rep. Pat Grassley met Waverly citizen Rob Hirst at the 10:15 a.m. Shell Rock stop at the Benny Gambaiani Library. The lawmakers met one citizen at an 8 a.m. Aplington stop and two at a 9 a.m. Parkersburg stop, they said.
  School start
  The current system sets Sept. 1 as a start date and requires schools obtain a waiver to start earlier. Nearly all of Iowa’s schools obtain these waivers.
  Gov. Terry Branstad brought the issue to a turning point when he, via the Department of Education, said the administration was not going to automatically grant the waivers anymore.
  The legislators said they are trying to determine the best course forward.
  Read more in the Feb. 19 Butler County Tribune-Journal and Clarksville Star.