Public schools in Iowa need your voice

School funding isn’t a topic that likely stirred many lively discussions around the holiday dinner table. But as the 2023 Iowa legislative session is about to begin, we need to consider the importance of the work being done in our public schools to prepare our students for a future that includes community engagement, post-secondary study or workforce participation. Our schools are struggling with inflationary costs, pandemic recovery costs and with providing competitive salaries for teachers and other staff. If our students are a priority, the Iowa Legislature must provide adequate school funding.

We are at a critical point in state funding to our public schools. In the 1970s and 1980s, Iowa was above the national average in per-pupil spending. Data shows us that more recently, in the 2018-19 school year, we had plunged $1,254 below the national average. Since 2014, funding for Iowa public schools grew by 11.6 percent, while nationally, spending rose by nearly 20 percent.

We are losing ground and our students deserve better from us.

Did you know that Nebraska is the only Midwest state doing less for their students than Iowa? Did you know that Iowa is ranked 40th nationally in per-pupil expenditure increase? What has happened to our pride in Iowa public schools? We can do better.

What does that funding allow us to do? For starters, it allows us to attract a high-quality workforce. Currently, many districts, including our own, struggle to hire bus drivers and paraeducators. In order to compete with the private sector, we must be able to pay competitive wages, not only for our support staff but also for our teachers and administrators.

There is a staff shortage across the state. There are currently more than 4,400 positions posted on the Teach Iowa website. That means thousands of Iowa children are not getting the best education possible. None of us would want that for our own child. We can do better.

The pandemic has created academic challenges for our students. Additional financial resources would allow us to reduce class sizes, better support our atrisk students, provide more individualized instruction and build better relationships. Not only is there learning loss to recover, but we also must address the significant mental health challenges that face our students and staff.

The Legislature must create a structure and a funding stream to eliminate the shortage of mental health professionals. For many students, mental health is a barrier to academic, social and economic success. We can do better.

We expect the governor to propose another school voucher plan this session. While the details remain to be seen, we know that any shift of funds to a voucher program will take your tax dollars away from public schools.

This is especially perilous as the 2022 tax cuts are being implemented. Four years from now, it is estimated that there will be a $1.8 billion revenue loss due to the tax plan passed last year.

Since public school funding is the majority of the state budget, we can expect the impact of the tax cuts to be significant on our public schools. Coupled with the potential shifting of your tax dollars to vouchers, our public schools are at risk. We can do better.

We need your voice to help continue the tradition of highquality public schools in Iowa.

Please know which Iowa legislators represent you. Call them.

Email them. Tell them we can do better. Encourage them to provide the funding required to return Iowa schools to their place as No. 1 in the nation.

Cindy Garlock is vice president and legislative liaison for the Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Directors. She submitted this column on behalf of her fellow board members.