From Senator Amanda Ragan –
Other states have figured out that high-wage, high-skill economies are built on a foundation of great local schools, and they’ve committed to supporting those schools.
While other states are investing more in student achievement, Iowa is failing to commit enough dollars to ensure each student’s success. On average, we invest $1,612 less per student than the national average. We are currently 35th in the nation.
The Legislature needs to increase its commitment to great schools, higher student achievement and increased teacher quality. Local parents, teachers and school administrators say our schools are increasingly forced to choose between providing a good education or just the bare minimum.
A new survey of Iowa school superintendents reports that the Governor’s budget would send our schools in the wrong direction, resulting in fired teachers, overcrowded classrooms, outdated textbooks and fewer choices for Iowa students. In fact, almost all survey respondents said they oppose the Governor’s plan to provide less than 1 percent in additional state aid to schools for the 2015-16 school year.
When asked what the impact would be on their students, 75 percent said they would increase class sizes, 74 percent said they would fire teachers, 71 percent said they would delay buying new classroom materials, and 70 percent said they would reduce course offerings. School superintendents believe the Branstad budget would limit the opportunities of tens of thousands of Iowa students. Iowa is competing with the world for high-skill, high-wage jobs. That means great local schools have never been more important to our families and our state’s economic future.
You would think they would get tired of beating the “school” drum.
Just how smart does a feller have to be before he figures out he is being had? She must think we are all plum stupid. Why we just need more school-in.
Her lips move and it’s politics of the worse kind. How in the world does that lady sleep at night?
@watchdog-it is because the sheeple lap that crap up. She really doesn’t care one bit about anyone else but that kind of talk keeps getting her elected.
Here we go again. All she knows is to spend more money on a recurring problem. Why don’t they wake up and understand that money is not the issue here. It is where they spend the money they have. There are way to many middle managers and administrators. get rid of the overhead and the P.C. Police and let the money go to the teachers and students. Yes, I said it, get rid of most of the administration and special interest and go back to teaching and the students will get better educations.