Schools Forced to Raise Class Size & Property Taxes
With no end in sight to the school funding crisis, Iowa Superintendents said that at least 298 teachers will receive pink slips this month and another 405 school positions will go unfilled next year. With about half of superintendents reporting so far, 2/3 of those school districts will also be forced to raise property taxes next year.
Last week, Iowa school districts were compelled by law to certify their budget for the upcoming school year without knowing how much money they will receive from the state. After Democrats offered 6%, then 4%, then 2.625%, the Governor and the Republican majority in the House have refused to compromise on school funding.
Besides raising class size with fewer teachers and raising local property taxes, superintendents said they will also be cutting back opportunities for students because of the budget uncertainty. Art, sports, shop classes, agriculture programs, consumer science, library services, STEM and Talented and Gifted are just a few of the programs being considered by school districts for elimination.
The information was compiled through a survey of Iowa superintendents. Iowans can learn about the impact of the school funding crisis in their own school district by going towww.iowahouse.org/GOPpinkslip/.
Republicans in the Iowa House have yet to compromise on the budget and staunchly hold fast to 1.25% supplemental state aid for schools, refusing to budge and threatening to take the schools to the default position of 0%, as they did in 2011 for the 2012 school budget, if their demand is not met.
Republicans are falsely but repeatedly claiming that the state does not have the funds. Republicans need to be more honest with the people of Iowa.
Democrats have always supported a balanced budget, even during the challenges of the recession of 2009 and 2010. The ending balance in FY10 was a surplus of $335.6 million.
Democrats have always followed the 99% spending limitation law enacted in 1992.
Democrats are, and will continue to be, fiscally responsible while funding the priorities of Iowans. Education is, and should be, the state’s number one priority. Continued underfunding by the legislature has put a chokehold on schools. Schools, statewide, have faced the devastating results.
These are the budget facts…
These numbers (below) are generated by the non-partisan Legislative Service Agency (LSA) that provides information to the legislature and the governor for budgeting purposes – and this is the truth. They are not from the Democrats, they are not from the Republicans, they are not from the Governor….they are an independent agency that serves all of us.
Fact 1: We have $7.175 billion in revenue and $319.1 million left over from last year, giving us a balance of $7.494 billion. By law, our 99% spending authority is $7.422 billion. That is the money available to appropriate for FY 16.
Fact 2: We have an additional $717.6 million in cash reserves and economic emergency funds.
Fact 3: The revenue estimated growth is 6% or an increase of $408.1 million
Fact 4: There are additional ongoing expenditure increases of $487.7 million for FY16, however, they are not regularly funded at the entire amount.
Fact 5: 4% supplemental state aid (SSA) for education increase is $212 million.
Fact 6: House Republican spending plan utilizes 96% of the 99% spending authority allowed by law and has been followed for 18 of the last 23 years (enacted in 1992).
Based on the facts, Democrats support a 4% increase in SSA, because it is not only responsible, it is doable. Democrats have offered a compromise 2.625% but Republicans refuse to budge. Democrats have been negotiating and offering compromise in good faith. Republicans have not.
House Democratic Leader Mark Smith again asked House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer if the Joint Education Conference Committee would be meeting this week, to resolve the supplemental aid budget amount. She again said she’d be asking Rep. Soderberg to schedule this meeting.
If you read between the lines, apparently this means there’s been little or no effort by House Leadership to meet, negotiate and resolve this stalemate.
I messed up! The House Education Committee was scheduled to tour The Downtown School in Des Moines and I showed up on time, but on the wrong date. In fact, the tour is for next Monday, and the school was actually closed when I arrived.
Serendipitously, Principal John Johnson happened to be using this vacation day to get some work done and drove up the same time I did. He welcomed me in and we had a great one-on-one discussion about the neat things happening in his school.
The Downtown School started 23 years ago as a collaborative effort between business leaders and parents. Their mission is to provide a diverse, experience-based learning environment that ensures each child’s success. Some of the unique ways The Downtown School approaches education is through small class sizes (16-18 kids), multi-age classrooms, student-led conferences, project-based learning, student portfolios, and an extended school day and year-round calendar. The school consists of 266 students, none bussed and only 13% free and reduced lunch. The vast majority are children of working parents in the Des Moines downtown area who can drop their kids off at school.
John explained that the school doesn’t have specialized art, music or PE teachers. Instead, the school’s 5-10 year-olds are taught these subjects by their home-room teacher. This sacrifice helps provide an additional class room teacher, keeping class sizes small.
Mr. Johnson attributes an additional reason for his students’ academic success: strong parental involvement, nearly 98% attendance in programs and conferences. Though not mandatory to student enrollment, parental participation is expected and encouraged right from the first day of school, and teachers are able to flex schedules to ensure they are as accommodating as possible.
The teachers’ role was also a significant factor in the school’s high achievement rates. Most of the staff has been there more than five years. They participate in long-term professional development, such as Cognitively Guided Instruction, and collaborative training with staff at a Montessori school.
I asked John what he would like the legislature to do for his students. “Keep education as a priority,” was his quick response. That would be my answer as well.
Link to my remarks on the House floor. I read excerpts from a letter I received from a concerned Iowan. Some of it is quoted below the link: https://youtu.be/iq_LcgZR1rY
“As a Christian, living in a democracy where citizens get to direct the country’s goals and policies, I cannot imagine Not using the framework of government to serve Christ according to Matthew 25. The least of these are to be helped. My church can and does offer “band-aids” of helping with bills, donating clothing, giving out food. But my church can’t fix the issues that lead to such a high percentage of people needing help. The framework of government can help, and Christians are called to use this tool. I resent being asked to take pride in applying those band-aids to gushing arteries, while knowing we can both help more people “learn to fish” and be long term more fiscally responsible by decreasing the percentage of our population needing assistance through education.
Fiscal responsibility flows from education. Civic engagement flows from education. Good health choices flow from education. I hear your pleas for personal responsibility, and I agree with the theory, but reality is that too many parents don’t teach it the way yours and mine did. A Christian society steps in to offer those children a solid educational background.”
Congratulations to constituent Meg Oberreuter on her retirement after 30+ years with Linn County Public Health! She already has plans to do volunteer work and continue her advocacy for those with autism spectrum disorders. Sounds like she’s going to be very busy! (pictured here with Susan Staed)
April 19-25 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. I attended the opening ceremonies at the Faches Center where Cedar Rapids Police Officer Wes Wery received the “Jennifer Clinton” Award for his outstanding work on behalf of crime victims. Thank you, Wes, for your efforts above and beyond the call of duty!
In 2013, there were roughly 1,163,000 violent crimes nationwide. These million+ crimes impact an even larger number of crime victims as families and friends deal with the emotional, physical, financial and psychological impacts.
The Clothes Line Project from Deaf Iowans Against Abuse was on display at the Faches Center. This project is a way for those affected by violence to highlight the problem of violence against women by designing a t-shirt illustrating the impact of the crime on the victim. This was a powerful visual depicting some of the trauma they’ve experienced.
Tina Frundt is a high-profile national advocate on the issue of domestic sex trafficking. She spoke to legislators to help raise awareness of the reality of sex trafficking in neighborhoods across America, and to help stop these crimes from happening. Tina, herself a victim and courageous survivor, founded Courtney’s House in D.C. where every survivor of sex trafficking can receive survivor-focused, trauma-informed, holistic services.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, after drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with arms dealing as the second-largest criminal industry in the world, generating about $32 billion each year. Tina works closely with law-enforcement officers in her efforts to bring these perpetrators to justice. Iowa State Senator Kevin Kinney has been a sheriff’s deputy for over 25 years, and also shared information about the type of person who commits these horrific crimes against children. He and a representative from the Iowa Attorney General’s office said the criminals may be physicians (two doctors were arrested in Coralville), lawyers, pastors, professors or even police officers.
After listening to Tina tell her personal story of the manipulative brain-washing and absolutely appalling abuse she experienced, I am determined to help her raise awareness – the first step to prevention. In today’s society, parents need to speak with their young children about trafficking. She has some tips for this necessary discussion on her website: http://www.courtneyshouse.org/
Iowans with Disabilities in Action (ID Action) is a nonpartisan organization created to increase the civic and political participation of more than 350,000 Iowans with disabilities. It was great to visit with constituents from Cedar Rapids who came to the Capitol to advocate for positive change. REM staff members, Bailey Freese (an old friend of Susan’s from Coffee Talk days), Amanda Jones and Lori Sharpe along with Michael Kness, came into House Chambers to get their picture taken in the Speaker’s Chair. Michael’s infectious smile was hard to resist despite the seriousness of our discussion.
ID Action is supporting several bills that seem to be dead in the House, including:
SF 484- Medical Cannabis Act
SF 345- Governor’s Anti-Bullying Bill
HF 257- Tax Deductions/Employment of Persons with Disabilities (I co-sponsored)
The following bills are still alive and may find passage in both House & Senate:
SF 475 – A Bill that provides a $2500 refundable tax credit to people who are at 250% or less of poverty level income so that they can make these changes in their homes.
SF 396 – A Bill that mandates the installation of a Fuel Assistance Device only if a new gas station is built or pump stations are remodeled. The bill also provides an income tax credit to stations who qualify as a small business that voluntarily make these changes.
Positive Change is happening, in great part due to the advocacy of groups such as ID Action and others seen at the Capitol this week. Thank you for keeping your legislators aware and accountable!
Richard Bradford invited area legislators to participate in the annual conference of the Iowa Branch of the International Dyslexia Association held at Mount Mercy University. Richard is a constituent, former school board member and strong advocate for reading programs for Iowa children.
Keynote speaker at the conference was Dr. Margie Gillis, Project Director at the Haskins Literacy Initiative at Yale University and President of Literacy How in Connecticut. Her talk outlined the need for science-based training for teaching candidates in higher ed. “Literacy is the language of opportunity,” and it’s important that teachers understand the reading process, assessment, and different forms of instruction to ensure instruction is comprehensive and successful.
I also enjoyed visiting with Tricia Krsek, Denise Little and Chuck Peters about many ideas for improving teacher professional development.
IDA has an abundance of resource sites for teachers of reading: http://www.ida-ia.org/index.php?id=3
The League of Women Voters Linn County forum gave legislators another great opportunity to hear from voters. I also enjoyed good one-one-one discussions with several who attended: Noreen Tonkin about school funding; Tony Christopherson about getting more involved in the legislative process; Sheryl Jahnel about landlord issues with tenants calls for assistance and the SAFE CR ordinance; and John Laverty about adequate school funding and trying to break the current stalement in the Iowa House.
Thanks to Jean McMenimen and the LWV for hosting this event!
The ANCHOR Center is all set to accept its first clients! The Sixth Judicial District Dept. of Corrections developed the idea of building this residential facility specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse needs who are also under correctional supervision. The ANCHOR (Accountability and kNowledge to Create Hope, Opportunity and Resources) Center has a capacity for holding 26 residents but will initially accept up to 16 due to staffing needs.
Programs for the residents will consist of clinical, cognitive skills, psycho-educational, and non-clinical groups. In addition, clients will be participating in service projects and prosocial recreational activities.
Attending the ANCHOR center open house was a terrific opportunity to visit with this dynamic duo: 6th Judicial Distr. DoC Director, Bruce Vander Sanden, and his brother, Jerry Vander Sander, who is the Linn County Attorney. We discussed the value of the ANCHOR Center in reducing recidivism and connecting clients with community resources to provide ongoing support.
It’s always wonderful to visit with Shannon Ryan, DOC Systems Administrator. I met Shannon years ago, at my wife’s coffee shop. I’ve often referred to him and his advice on both computer software and hardware concerns. Brilliant guy!
DOC Board Member, Shelby Humbles Jr, spoke with me about minorities, the disproportionate incarceration of young black men, and the search for remedies to address this critical issue.
It’s exciting to have both a facility like this, and the professional team working to improve the lives of individuals as they readjust to new lives in the community.
After the tragic loss of five young people in a car accident at this intersection, an Urbana resident contacted me. She asked that something be done about the area where the accident occurred, to prevent further loss of life. Earlier this week, I contacted the Department of Transportation to request an investigation of the design of the site and what measures might make it safer. The Traffic and Safety Team at DOT is reviewing this crash and the history at this intersection for possible modifications. They have promised to send me a report of their findings. I’m confident that other officials have made the same request.
If you are aware of dangerous highway intersections, you can contact the DOT:http://www.iowadot.gov/about.html#/contacts
My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and school staff during this horrific time.
Continue Reading the Statehouse News
To read the rest of my Statehouse News go to:http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/4-23-15
