As lawmakers return this week to Des Moines, the state’s school districts are banking on the Iowa Legislature to extend a sales tax they rely on to pay for building projects — and hope changes to the tax code don’t dampen other sources of K-12 funding.
Lawmakers came close last year to extending the tax — the House approved a 20-year extension 95-3 in April — but the Senate did not take up the measure in the final days of the 2018 legislative session.
“It was a huge disappointment,” said Emily Piper, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards. “There’s no doubt about it.”
