From the Capitol to You:

It has been a busy week for families and school employees! Please keep a lookout for little ones making their way to and from school, whether they are walking or running to catch a bus. And a special thanks to all of you teachers who worked the week before school getting everything ready for your students, many of you in hot, humid rooms! You are appreciated! With your help students were able to accomplish what you will read about in the next paragraph!

Good news for education.....Iowa ACT scores ranked number 2 in the nation, and the number of students taking the ACTs increased. Sixty per cent of Iowa's graduating class took the test! The students taking at least 3 years of math, science and social studies and 4 years of English had the higher scores, averaging 23. While those taking a lighter load had an average score of 19.6. In 2011 all students will be required to take those core courses. In 2012 schools will be fully implementing the Iowa Core Curriculum. This curriculum is aligned with a national model of standards and designed to boost student achievement and ensure kids are prepared for jobs in today's global economy.

Congratulations to County Auditor Ken Kline and his staff for receiving the Stars and Stripes Award at the National Association of Election Officials conference in Orlando, Florida. We are fortunate to have such dedicated people working in the court house! In November the secure, streamlined computer program they developed for voting is going to be used in 668 precincts within 46 counties across the state....and it all started right here in River City!

Kudos to Ken Kline and the entire County Auditor's office!

Below is an announcement about an information meeting for the Save Our Small Business legislation we passed this past session. Please pass on to any interested party.

I have also included a link to I-Jobs information …....just click on the county that interests you..... http://governor.iowa.gov/index.php/static/county_fact_sheets



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County Auditor Ken Kline, Senator Ragan, County Supervisors Amosson and Dougherty, and I spoke at a legislative event at Opportunity Village this month.
Interested attendees learned about the legislative issues and the voting process.



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The New Iowa Small Business Loan Program

Bankers…Business Owners…Accountants

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
NIACC McAllister Hall 104G
(just down the hall from the Pappajohn Center on the NIACC Campus)

Please RSVP to the NIACC JPEC at 641.422.4111 or pappajohn@niacc.edu

The Iowa Small Business (ISB) Loan Program was created by the legislature to help existing and new Iowa-based and Iowan-owned small businesses create and retain jobs. Loans for $2,500 to $50,000 at 3.9% for direct loans or 2% for loans co-sponsored from August 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 or until funds run out.If you are a small Iowa business or work with small Iowa businesses- you need to be here and find out about this exciting new financing program. Go to www.ISBLoan.org to see if you are eligible.

BONUS! Find out about recent improvements in the Iowa MicroLoan Program!

Mary Spitz, Administrative Assistant
NIACC John PappaJohn Entrepreneurial Center
Small Business Development Center
500 College Drive, Suite 120
Mason City, Iowa 50401
SpitzMar@niacc.edu
Direct: 641-422-4111/4342


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Iowa ACT Scores #2 in the Nation

As kids are going back to school, it’s good news to hear that once again, Iowa’s graduating high school students’ ranked number two in the nation in ACT scores.

We’ve already taken the step in getting our kids prepared for the future by passing the Iowa Core Curriculum. The Iowa Department of Education noted that those who reported taking core courses achieved an average composite ACT score of 23. Those that reported taking lighter course loads in core areas had an average composite score of 19.6.

This year’s results also indicate that more students are taking at least three years each of math, science, and social studies, and four years of English in high school, which positively impacts test scores and provides students with the concepts and skills for success after high school. Read More

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Counties Added to Presidential Disaster Declaration

Governor Culver announced that 32 counties have been granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration, making Iowans living in these counties eligible for federal individual assistance. Individual Assistance can be used for temporary housing or home repairs, loans to cover the replacement of uninsured property, and other programs to help individuals and businesses.

The 32 counties are Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Polk, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright.

Residents and businesses in these counties can register for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). The toll-free numbers are available from 7 am to 10 pm daily. Read More

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Energy Efficiency Efforts Create Green Jobs

According to a new report, over 2,100 homes in Iowa have been weatherized and 275 jobs were created through the weatherization effort by local providers. The U.S. Department of Energy also announced that Iowa has reached a significant milestone under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – completing weatherization work for more than 30% of the homes the state had planned to weatherize.

As of June 30, 2010, Iowa has weatherized 2,179 homes with federal Recovery Act funding. More than 1,300 additional homes have also been weatherized with our annual program funding allotment. As a result of this progress, the state will now have access to an additional $40.4 million in Recovery Act weatherization funding to continue providing energy efficiency services to Iowa’s low-income families. Read More

24 Main Street Iowa Projects Assisted