New Iowa 'State of Education' report released

If you wonder how your property taxes for schools are spent, how much teachers earn (on average for first-year, experienced and veteran educators) or where student enrollment is expected to go in the coming years, then read the new Iowa "Condition of Education Report." The 250-page report is guaranteed to make you a more educated citizen and voter when it comes to school issues.

Some highlights from the report:
• The percent of students eligible for free and reduced price meals reached a new high of 32 percent, up from 25 percent a decade ago.
• Iowa ranks third in the nation with 71 percent of the children under age six coming from families with working parents.
• Total statewide school enrollment over the next five years is predicted to decline a total of 1.9 percent.
• The number of "Limited English Proficiency" students has doubled in the past 10 years to 17,176 in 2005-06.
• The number of open enrolled students in the state has increased from 2,757 in 1990-91 to 23,155 in the most recent school year.
• The average full-time teacher salary was $41,996 in the 2005-06 school year.
• The average full-time teacher salary in the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency District 9 (which includes Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott school districts) was $43,498 in 2005-06.