A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for eastern Gage, Johnson and northwestern Pawnee counties in Nebraska until 2:45 p.m. A tornado watch is in effect for parts of southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa until 10 p.m. Sunday.
Some Iowa school districts facing squeezing budgets are asking teachers to reconsider promised pay raises to help cut expenses.
School boards in about 15 of Iowa's 361 school districts agreed to multi-year contracts with teachers before knowing the extent of the economic crisis. Now because of state funding cuts, districts don't have the money for the raises.
The Iowa Association of School Board says about half the 15 districts have asked their teachers' unions to reopen negotiations.
Districts with extended agreements are locked into increases for next year that range from about 2 percent to 4 percent. In districts with a one-year agreement, the increase is about 1 percent.
