Iowa Senate OKs 2014-2015 school funding increase - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

The state Senate has approved legislation that would increase state funding for K-12 schools by 4 percent for the 2014-2015 school year.

The Legislature is required to set school funding more than a year in advance, prompting Thursday's Senate vote. Because lawmakers didn't approve a budget last year, the Senate last month passed a bill increasing funding for the coming school year.

In the House, Republicans in a committee approved a scaled-backed version of Gov. Terry Branstad's education reform proposals Wednesday night. The revised plan reduces teacher raises backed by Branstad and lets schools opt-out of minimum salary hikes or leadership bonuses.

The dueling efforts show the distance between the Democratic-majority Senate, the Republican-controlled House. A Branstad spokesman says the governor was encouraged that House lawmakers were debating education reform.