DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa schools are still waiting for lawmakers to approve Supplemental State Aid (SSA) funding for the next school year, and the result could have a major impact on the Des Moines Public School District.
DMPS currently has a budget shortfall of $13.5 million in next year’s budget. One of the biggest factors in a school’s funding is student enrollment.
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The district has lost nearly 3,000 students over the past decade. The state provides nearly $8,000 per student, so the decline in enrollment has led to a decrease in state funding.
“There’s more options for students now and for families with the sort of explosion of charters and the availability of those schools and many of them setting up here in the city of Des Moines and nearby rural areas,” said DMPS Interim Superintendent Matt Smith…