Letter to the editor:
As an educator, I value lawmakers who value education as a top priority and fight for much needed funds that make our schools more efficient. Children are our future, and they deserve a top-notch, world-class education. Mary Jo Wilhelm agrees, and she has been a tireless advocate for her district to make sure every student receives a quality education at every level. As a state legislator, she is focused on keeping tuition affordable at community colleges, state universities and private colleges.
Iowa’s public schools, are starving from years of underfunding and every year I have spend hundreds of dollars out of my own pocket for supplies. Mary Jo Wilhelm is dedicated to adequate school funding that will ensure small class sizes that give students the one-on-one contact that they need. The seeds for growth and prosperity are planted in the classroom, and I am pleased to see a legislator who recognizes this.
As a teacher, I know that Senator Wilhelm is in my corner. A vote for Wilhelm is a vote for education.
Barb Havlik
Elma, Iowa
Send your letter to the editor to NorthIowaToday@gmail.com
NOTE: The opinions expressed in letters to the editor are not necessarily those of NorthIowaToday.com.
If you think that “education” is expensive, then go purchase some “stupid” instead.
How to begin fixing the education system in 3 steps – By Calvin:
1. Change to year round school. If teachers want to be paid more they can work a full time job. Also helps with student retention and behavior issues.
2. Segment out the students who want to learn academically and those who don’t. Stop devoting massive resources to students who are a bad investment.
3. Increase accessibility for vocational training starting in high school. College is not the only avenue to a successful career.
I have few more “controversial” changes I would advocate for, but I feel these three are the most important.
You should try doing some substitute teaching work in a middle school. Your perspective would be greatly enlarged.
No thanks, I have a real job.
He’s the guy that asks you “paper or plastic”.
Democrats and Public Unions are responsible for much of America’s decline.
I have to laugh at how stupid a couple of bloggers that responded to Lloyd. Liberals are so dense they can’t detect sarcasm.
Teachers and journalists have fallen into the category of bottom feeders.
John Adams just got new chrome books for every student.More and more classes are going CB only. Teachers are there just for a guide.More money for less teaching.
Chromebooks for all.
Wonder who sold that bill of goods? Education is always ripe for the pickings by the latest golly gee whiz fad.
As a former teacher, I can guarantee you that few if any teachers were ever asked if chromebooks for all were what they needed or if they thought it would improve instruction.
But no one ever asks the folks in the trenches. Those decisions come from the on high administration who no doubt were wined and dine and dazzled by some tech group’s latest sales pitch.
Do some research before running your mouth. Your school board pushed this onto the district, nobody else. The people you voted in on the school board are not only a bunch of pompous idiots with self-serving agendas, they are – as you see it – blowing YOUR money.
Who’s future? The Public servants retirement fund is where all this added money is going – across the USA their retirement fund is 5.6 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt – State of Illinois (fact) 89% of all education money goes for public servants retirement fund and only 11% actually goes for education – screwed up ? fat cat benefits – cut your fat cat benefits and 80% retirement check and start paying your own health care and you elite will soon realize how in the hell is the private sector doing – Answer NOT GOOD. TRUMP 2016 !!
This has nothing to do with Illinois. Much like your leader, you spout statements that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. And notice I said statements, not facts. They are beyond you.
The results will be the same here as in Illinois if we don’t stop the Democrats from giving away all our tax money so they can buy votes.
That would be strange. Remember our Governor? The guy who watches the purse strings? The one whose son is the chairperson of the Donald’s Iowa campaign? The guy you love and trust? Do you think he would let IPERS go bankrupt? Hey, he is drawing IPERS right now from his previous ‘positions’. He is also being paid a fairly large salary for being governor. The teachers who you like to bash, can draw IPERS after working for_ years and reaching an age where the two add up to 88. They can’t make over $30,000 or their IPERS gets docked. That doesn’t happen to the gov.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. We should cut back funding on all taxpayers paid retirements and insurance.
Feel that the gov should do the same? Should he be allowed to double dip?
garner is adding a two story green house along with all the other new additions. Our kids may not be able to read and write but they will know how to grow vegetables. How many school supplies would that money have bought??
We need to get rid of the public school system because it’s a bureaucracy and money laundering scheme for the dumocrats and public union .
Well it definitely looks like the school system failed you Lloyd, because you are one serious dumbass.
Lloyd can’t even correctly spell the name of one of the two major political parties in this country. It’s Demo….. And just what is a “public union”, two consenting adults having sex in a park?
He spelled it the way he wanted to. It isn’t his fault you are to ignorant to understand what he means.
A teacher thinks that more money leads to higher efficiency. I weep for the future.
More mula -more mula – the cry of the Clintonites .
Leave it to a teacher! More money to solve education’s failure. America spends more per student than all the other countries in the world and we have the worst test scores in the world.
Teachers while educated on a certain topic to teach have the least amount of common sense than any other profession I could name.
Teachers don’t get any sympathy from me when they write letters begging for more money for academia that is failing society.
Just saying!
More money, more money, more money. If we didn’t pay the teachers so much they wouldn’t need more money. They have money to build a new locker room and gym but not enough to educate the kids.
As a teacher, Yes, as always, you need more money. That’s shocking?
As a fellow teacher, let me say that we’ve been throwing more money at education for decades as the results have been declining. More money isn’t the answer. Unless all you care about is your IPERS account.