ISL? PPEL? Spending Authority? Demystifying school funding

As Eagle Grove gears up for another school year, the Eagle Grove Community School District must once again determine how they'll pay for everything. That's not as easy as just finding out how much you have to spend, and then budgeting it out -- especially in Iowa, where school districts must keep two separate sets of books, and only certain things can be covered by each. And that makes Iowa's education funding landscape a bit puzzling, especially when terms like PPEL, ISL, and spending authority are thrown around – as they were at the district's most recent School Board meeting.