From Sen. Amanda Ragan –
If a student cannot read, they will not do their best in school. We should do all we can to help kids learn to read by third grade.
SSB 1142, approved by the Senate Education Committee, will prepare our young readers by keeping class sizes small in the early grades. Class size affects student success, especially when children are learning to read.
We can help limit class sizes for kindergarten through third-graders by extending Iowa’s Early Intervention Block Grant Program, more commonly known as the “class size reduction” program, so young students have the one-on-one attention they need to get a good start in school.
Local school districts use the money for additional licensed instructional staff, before- and after-school programs, tutoring, all-day kindergarten and other steps to help young learners. By investing in helping our youngest students learn to read, we set the stage for success in school and in life.
@Sicka-I will agree with her about her comments about reading. I have always said if you can read and understand what you read you can do most anything. Learning to read is one of the most important things a child can do. Ragans problem is the only thing she knows is to throw money at a problem and hope it goes away. Know it all’s should know better than to make comments that cannot be backed up.
I agree. I don’t know about her “throwing money” at anything, but then, that’s not the point of this article.
@Sicka-Ragan said,”Local School Districts use the MONEY”. There you are. She can’t do anything without spending more money. You would think that sometime she would come out and say we reduced something, but no, not her.
So… explaining what an existing block grant is used for means SHE is “throwing money around”?
What about all the other people who have implemented these funds since 2009? That’s how long this has been in effect, you know.
Were THEY “throwing money around”?
She’s absolutely right, of course. Many studies have shown that class size affects learning. It’s also been proven in real world case studies.
So of course the standard know-nothings leap in to deflect from the real issue.
“Her” Community Kitchen?
She gets paid to run the Community Kitchen.
Amanda’s problem is she earns her living doling out other people’s money. Which isn’t to say that her Community Kitchen isn’t worthwhile. It is worthwhile. But her perspective is skewed.
Want’s to keep classes small and your property tax high.