A legislative committee is recommending that the 2015 Iowa legislature consider changes that would help schools deal with transportation costs, a particular problem in rural Iowa where many districts have long bus routes for students. A group of legislators met for this week to discuss the details of how state aid to public schools is distributed and agreed lawmakers should find some way to address the budget difficulties in property-poor school districts, although the group did not make a specific recommendation. Representative Ron Jorgensen, a Republican from Sioux City, is chairman of the House Education Committee.

Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, is chairman of the Education Committee in the Iowa Senate.

Quirmbach and Joregensen served on the legislative panel that met to discuss preschool-through-12th grade education funding issues.