The Pella School Board met prior to their regular meeting Monday for a conversation about the current state of public education and how public education might fare in the upcoming legislative session. State Senator Ken Rozenboom, an incumbent Republican, and his challenger, Newton Public School teacher Tyler Stewart, a Democrat, were there to participate in the discussion..

Rozenboom says Iowa’s budget surplus is “almost beyond belief,” but many constituencies will seek increased funding this upcoming session. Regardless, he expects public education to do fairly well, although he would be surprised if there were a 6% increase in funding. Rozenboom says school choice is a priority of the Governor, and he continues to support the effort.

Stewart says schools aren’t receiving enough funding. Yearly 4% increases would just keep up with inflation, yet increases have been 2-2.5% or even 0% for years, and “there is a past due balance.” He adds that teachers are demoralized because of negative rhetoric from the Governor and Republican leadership, including Senator Jack Whitver, who has proposed jailing teachers for the books they use in their classes. He says teachers are concerned about what laws Republicans will pass that will restrict what they teach and how they can teach it. He blames the negative rhetoric for our teacher shortage and says that with Republicans in charge, things will only get worse.

Board member Timothy Tripp says Republicans are proposing to “defund the public schools” by allowing public money to be used for private school vouchers. Rozenboom rejects this, saying it isn’t an either/or situation; it is “both/and,” and that public schools are funded appropriately, getting the biggest piece of the budget pie.

Stewart says teachers feel picked on and bullied by the Governor and Republican leadership, leading to the teacher shortage, and teachers are leaving the profession and even the state. He says public dollars shouldn’t be going to religious schools without the same accountability and responsibility the public schools have.

Rozenboom says we have been doing it with colleges for over 50 years.

Board Member Elisa Klahsen asked Rozenboom if he spoke with administrators and teachers and if he listened to what they had to say about increasing funding, and why not listen to the people involved in education? Rozenboom replied he has been speaking with teachers and administrators for many years and that everyone always wants more money; it’s human nature. Klahsen replied, saying that the goal isn’t just more money; the goal is to improve.

Stewart pointed out that private schools can deny kids admission, don’t have to teach everyone, and it isn’t that teachers want more–they want enough.

Rozenboom said administrative costs have soared, and board member Gary Coppock pushed back, saying there were many reasons for that that are largely beyond the control of the district. Superintendent Greg Ebeling said administrative growth has been small in his 12 years in the district.

Chair Joan Corbin wanted to know how Rozenboom could reconcile providing public money to private schools when they are not governed by a public board. Rozenboom said it happens all of the time, and that public schools have a monopoly, and why should they get all of the money? He said many people want other choices, and the legislature has to listened to them.

Rozenboom pointed to districts where girls have to shower with classmates whose birth certificates say they were born male, and pointed to the policies of the LInn-Mar school district, and concerns that have arisen in the current “transgender craze.” Superintendent Ebeling and other school board members pointed out that the district serves all students, and does its best to create a comfortable environment for all to learn, and creates options where all students and their families are comfortable with when such situations arise.

Stewart says the Newton School District does the same, and that “these are real kids with a real life we have to deal with–you can’t use this as a reason to take money away from schools. We don’t teach kids to be transgender.”

Board member Jesse Peterson said other things influenced Republican action on schools. Roozenboom agreed, saying, for example some schools didn’t do well with COVID, in particular the Des Moines Public Schools, and the legislature had to intervene because on-line teaching wasn’t working.

Stewart agreed, saying teachers wanted to be back in school, and the forced experiment with online learning didn’t work well, but politics aside, “we were trying to save lives in a global pandemic, and that we are going to lose more by punishing public schools.”

Rozenboom pointed out that Iowa school teachers are actually getting good pay, with Iowa ranking 6th or 8th in the nation, considering the cost of living.

Coppock said cost of living has nothing to do with the extra amount of work teachers are being asked to do, and we need to do more for them.

Stewart says, “there is a lot more to the story than cost of living. A tremendous amount of work is involved, and if teacher pay is so great, why are so many teachers leaving the field? He added that private schools don’t have to be accountable, or teach all of the kids.

President Corbin said, “my worry is the voucher program will start small, and then grow big, and the public schools will be the only schools serving the students who have great needs.” She then referenced a grandchild with special needs, saying for her grandchild, “it’s not school choice, it will be the school’s choice.”