Chronicle Editorial

By: 
Chronicle Staff

Politics of procrastination
 
The most contentious issue in the General Assembly has turned into an agonizingly bitter standoff in recent weeks, and it’s time Iowa lawmakers end the political song and dance in favor of compromise.
                The Legislature has failed to reach an agreement on state supplemental aid for the next two years. Gov. Terry Branstad and House Republicans proposed a 1.25 percent increase for 2015 and a 2.45 increase for 2016, while Senate Democrats have countered with a plan that would boost funding by 4 percent both years. Each proposal faces a murky future, and finding a middle ground is now more pressing than ever.
                Iowa’s schools are trying to plan next year’s budget. That task is quite difficult when they don’t know how much money they’re getting, and holding budgets hostage in favor political grandstanding is severely concerning. Democrats and Republicans have failed to grasp that concept despite persistent rhetoric suggesting otherwise. Both parties claim they have keeping the best interest of students in mind, but they’re failed to back up those sentiments this year.
                Making the situation more frustrating is a short list of meritless issues that keep sidetracking the supplemental aid debate. Most notably, school start dates. The Legislature has gone back and forth with Branstad over this issue since January and it seems like lawmakers are using it as more of a diversionary tactic than anything. Is it really such a huge issue when schools start each year?
                Lawmakers have kicked the can down the road long enough. It’s April now, and schools still have no clue how much state funding they’re getting next year. The time has long since passed for Democrats and Republicans to meet somewhere in the middle. School adminstrators will take what they can get at this point, and our lawmakers owe it to their constituents to agree on this issue. It might be a 1.25 percent increase or slightly more, but at least it will be something.
 
Correcting the caucus
 
     A bipartisan effort that aims to create a new electronic reporting system for the Iowa Caucus is a step in the right direction for our state's first-in-the-nation event.
     Democratic and Republican leaders hinted at the plan last week. The new system would report results from more than 1,500 sites quickly and accurately on caucus night, which would improve transparency and speed up turn around.
     Caucus results are traditionally tabulated at each precint and then reported to state officials later that night, which can be time consuming and lead to errors. In 2012, Mitt Romney was originally declared the winner of the Republican caucus, but a recount found that Rick Santorum had actually won.
     A new unified reporting system is a welcomed sight that would improve the Iowa Caucus' reputation. Our state receives a tremendous amount of attention during the event, and improving reporting methods to increase speed and accountability is the least party leaders can do for 2016.

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