Heres what Iowa schools want to be addressed by lawmakers [Video]

Grace King and Erin MurphyThe Gazette

Iowa school leaders this legislative session want state funding to provide free, full-day 4-year-old preschool programs to families, policies that aim to recruit and retain educators and improved children’s mental health services.

Topics that lawmakers say they expect to be addressed this session include a statewide policy possibly barring students from having cellphones in the classroom and a continued look at Area Education Agencies, which provide special education services and support to educators and students in Iowa’s K-12 school districts.

Republican and Democratic legislative leaders spoke with The Gazette for its legislative preview series exploring topics likely to come up this session, which starts Monday at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to be interviewed for the series.

4-year-old preschool

An ongoing priority for Iowa schools is for full-day preschool for 4-year-olds to be fully funded by the state.

Today, Iowa’s Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program provides funding to …