Pella Schools Superintendent Greg Ebeling says the recent veto of line-item spending for schools by Governor Terry Branstad will compound an already difficult budget situation for the district.

Ebeling called Branstad’s actions a “bait-and-switch,” and says it undermines good faith negotiations made by the Legislature.

“It felt like it was, yep we’re going to give you this, we’re going to let the house and the senate negotiate in good faith, that this was going to happen,” Ebeling tells KNIA/KRLS News. “And then the governor can decide on his own not to do it.”

“I really don’t understand the big picture, and I don’t think the governor has fully explained himself as to what the purpose of the veto is.”

Ebeling says the one-time funds would have amounted to roughly $240,000, and without that money, the district may face a total of $1 million in spending cuts for next fiscal year due to declining enrollment.

Senate Democrats have called for a special session to override the governor’s veto. State Representative Guy Vander Linden tells KNIA/KRLS News the chances of that happening are slim-to-none, because it requires a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate to reconvene. He says even if that happens, a bill restoring education funding would not likely garner enough support to pass.