Roosevelt, Merrill, and Hanawalt are at risk for losing state funding….
What is going on with state funding for Iowa Public Schools?
Historically, Iowa’s leaders have placed great value in the funding and education of our children. The funding increases of +10% per year allowed Iowa’s students to thrive, and our state to proudly claim the top spot for quality education.
However, today Iowa ranks 35th in the nation in terms of funding per pupil. Unfortunately, there are members in both our state government and state legislature who believe the 35th spot is sufficient and they stubbornly stand by the proposed 1.25% increase in education spending for the upcoming school year. This meager increase is well below general inflation, and will not even allow Iowa districts to provide education at the same level they are at this year, let alone permit schools to make the necessary annual investment needed to bring the quality of education in Iowa back to the top.
Iowa children are the future of our workforce, and will be the drivers of Iowa’s economy for years to come. A commitment to education should be an easy way to attract and retain families in our great state. We ask the state leadership to reconsider and make a more appropriate allocation by passing at least a +4% increase in state funding per pupil. There is no better investment than the young minds of our future leaders.
For more information, including key statistics:
http://www.uen-ia.org/attachments/call%20to%20action/Call%20to%20Action%20School%20Funding%20Mar%206%202015.pdf
Recent Des Moines Register opinion article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2015/03/12/branstad-lawmakers-negotiate-away-childrens-future/70188572/
What can citizens of Iowa do?
There are 3 action items listed below. The first two you can do right from your computer and will take less than 5 minutes.
1. Sign this petition and share it with your networks, including social media:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/invest-now-in-iowas-future
1. Email all legislators and the Governor today. It is important that you email them all. The Republicans support 1.25% and need to hear our opinions. The Democrats support 4% and we need that to continue. For your convenience, a sample letter and a list of representatives and senators will be at the end of this e-mail.
2. Join us on Wednesday, March 25th at 2:30 pm to rally for funding at the Capitol. Students and their families in school t-shirts with posters are all welcome!
3. Like and follow our activities on our Facebook page: Invest NOW in Iowa’s Future
https://www.facebook.com/iowastudentsiowasfuture/timeline
Dear [Legislator]:
As a [tax payer, parent, grandparent] I have been following the discussions concerning education during this 2015 legislative session. I share and believe in the commitment to ensuring that every child has access to a high quality education. However, I have serious concerns about the impact of setting Supplemental State Aid at a mere 1.25 percent.
All children in Iowa deserve a quality education, yet Iowa continues to fund education at a rate that is not on pace with many other states. For FY2013-14, Iowa’s funding per pupil was approximately $9,761 while our neighbors spent nearly $1,000 to over $3,500 more per pupil (Illinois $13,372, Minnesota $11,929, Wisconsin $11,630, and Missouri $10,419).
Furthermore school districts including ours have been underfunded in the past. As you know, FY2012 was the first time in the 40+-year history of the Supplemental State Aid formula that schools experienced a zero percent increase. In the years following, the two percent set for FY 2013 and FY2014 and the 4% for FY 2015 did not bridge the consequential shortcomings. Now we face another year of inadequate SSA for our schools while they work to meet expectations to improve outcomes for our children.
The real issue regarding what isn’t affordable is the stripped-down school structure that will result from the compounding of SSA decisions made over the years. Our kids deserve quality teachers in their classrooms. They deserve curriculum and technology that supports their success in learning. They deserve world-class schools. They need those making the decisions that impact them to do better.
As an Iowa tax payer, I am asking you to commit to funding education – to funding Iowa’s future – with an adequate per pupil growth rate of 4%.
Thank you for your time and consideration as well as your commitment to Iowa’s children.
Sincerely,
[Your Name and Contact Information]
All Senators:
1-25 chaz.allen@legis.iowa.gov, bill.anderson@legis.iowa.gov, jerry.behn@legis.iowa.gov, rick.bertrand@legis.iowa.gov, tony.bisignano@legis.iowa.gov, joe.bolkcom@legis.iowa.gov, tod.bowman@legis.iowa.gov, chris.brase@legis.iowa.gov, michael.breitbach@legis.iowa.gov, jake.chapman@legis.iowa.gov, mark.chelgren@legis.iowa.gov, mark.costello@legis.iowa.gov, thomas.courtney@legis.iowa.gov, jeffdanielson@gmail.com, dick.dearden@legis.iowa.gov, bill.dix@legis.iowa.gov, bill.dotzler@legis.iowa.gov, robert.dvorsky@legis.iowa.gov, randy.feenstra@legis.iowa.gov, julian.garrett@legis.iowa.gov, mike.gronstal@legis.iowa.gov, dennis.guth@legis.iowa.gov, rob.hogg@legis.iowa.gov, wally.horn@legis.iowa.gov rita.hart@legis.iowa.gov,
26-50 pam.jochum@legis.iowa.gov, david.johnson@legis.iowa.gov, tim.kapucian@legis.iowa.gov, kevin.kinney@legis.iowa.gov, tim.kraayenbrink@legis.iowa.gov, liz.mathis@legis.iowa.gov, matt.mccoy@legis.iowa.gov, janet.petersen@legis.iowa.gov, hcqbach@gmail.com, amanda.ragan@legis.iowa.gov, ken.rozenboom@legis.iowa.gov, charles.schneider@legis.iowa.gov, brian.schoenjahn@legis.iowa.gov, jason.schultz@legis.iowa.gov, mark.segebart@legis.iowa.gov, joe.seng@legis.iowa.gov, tom.shipley@legis.iowa.gov, amy.sinclair@legis.iowa.gov, roby.smith@legis.iowa.gov, steve.sodders@legis.iowa.gov, rich.taylor@legis.iowa.gov, jack.whitver@legis.iowa.gov, mary.jo.wilhelm@legis.iowa.gov, brad.zaun@legis.iowa.gov, dan.zumbach@legis.iowa.gov
All Representatives:
1-25 ako.abdul-samad@legis.iowa.gov, marti.anderson@legis.iowa.gov, rob.bacon@legis.iowa.gov, chip.baltimore@legis.iowa.gov, clel.baudler@legis.iowa.gov, terry.baxter@legis.iowa.gov, bruce.bearinger@legis.iowa.gov, liz.bennett@legis.iowa.gov, deborah.berry@legis.iowa.gov, brian.best@legis.iowa.gov, darrel.branhagen@legis.iowa.gov, timi.brown-powers@legis.iowa.gov, josh.byrnes@legis.iowa.gov, gary.carlson@legis.iowa.gov, dennis.cohoon@legis.iowa.gov, peter.cownie@legis.iowa.gov, dave.dawson@legis.iowa.gov, dave.deyoe@legis.iowa.gov, cecil.dolecheck@legis.iowa.gov, jack.drake@legis.iowa.gov, nancy.dunkel@legis.iowa.gov, abby.finkenauer@legis.iowa.gov, dean.fisher@legis.iowa.gov, john.forbes@legis.iowa.gov, greg.forristall@legis.iowa.gov,
26-50 joel.fry@legis.iowa.gov, ruthann.gaines@legis.iowa.gov, mary.gaskill@legis.iowa.gov, tedd.gassman@legis.iowa.gov, pat.grassley@legis.iowa.gov, stan.gustafson@legis.iowa.gov, chris.hagenow@legis.iowa.gov, chris.hall@legis.iowa.gov, curt.hanson@legis.iowa.gov, maryann.hanusa@legis.iowa.gov, greg.heartsill@legis.iowa.gov dave.heaton@legis.iowa.gov, lisa.heddens@legis.iowa.gov, lee.hein@legis.iowa.gov, jake.highfill@legis.iowa.gov, steven.holt@legis.iowa.gov, bruce.hunter@legis.iowa.gov, dan.huseman@legis.iowa.gov, charles.isenhart@legis.iowa.gov, david.jacoby@legis.iowa.gov, megan.jones@legis.iowa.gov, ron.jorgensen@legis.iowa.gov, bobby.kaufmann@legis.iowa.gov, jerry.kearns@legis.iowa.gov, dan.kelley@legis.iowa.gov,
51-75 jarad.klein@legis.iowa.gov, kevin.koester@legis.iowa.gov, john.kooiker@legis.iowa.gov, bob.kressig@legis.iowa.gov, john.landon@legis.iowa.gov, vicki.lensing@legis.iowa.gov, jim.lykam@legis.iowa.gov, mary.mascher@legis.iowa.gov, dave.maxwell@legis.iowa.gov, charlie.mcconkey@legis.iowa.gov, brian.meyer@legis.iowa.gov, helen.miller@legis.iowa.gov, linda.miller@legis.iowa.gov, norlin.mommsen@legis.iowa.gov, brian.moore@legis.iowa.gov, zach.nunn@legis.iowa.gov, jo.oldson@legis.iowa.gov, rick.olson@legis.iowa.gov, scott.ourth@legis.iowa.gov, kraig.paulsen@legis.iowa.gov, ross.paustian@legis.iowa.gov, dawn.pettengill@legis.iowa.gov, todd.prichard@legis.iowa.gov, ken.rizer@legis.iowa.gov, walt.rogers@legis.iowa.gov,
76-100 patti.ruff@legis.iowa.gov, kirsten.running-marquardt@legis.iowa.gov, sandy.salmon@legis.iowa.gov, tom.sands@legis.iowa.gov, mike.sexton@legis.iowa.gov, larry.sheets@legis.iowa.gov, david.sieck@legis.iowa.gov, mark.smith@legis.iowa.gov, chuck.soderberg@legis.iowa.gov, art.staed@legis.iowa.gov, quentin.stanerson@legis.iowa.gov, sharon.steckman@legis.iowa.gov, sally.stutsman@legis.iowa.gov, rob.taylor@legis.iowa.gov, todd.taylor@legis.iowa.gov, phyllis.thede@legis.iowa.gov, linda.upmeyer@legis.iowa.gov, guy.vander.linden@legis.iowa.gov, ralph.watts@legis.iowa.gov, beth.wessel-kroeschell@legis.iowa.gov, john.wills@legis.iowa.gov, cindy.winckler@legis.iowa.gov, matt.windschitl@legis.iowa.gov, mary.wolfe@legis.iowa.gov, gary.worthan@legis.iowa.gov
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