Here's a good letter that went out to every superintendent and legislator in Iowa:
Dear Senators,
It is my understanding that McKenzie Snow is being considered for confirmation as Director of the Iowa Department of Education.
There are a number of reasons she should not serve in this position:
1. Her highest degree is a Bachelor’s Degree
2. That degree is in Political Science
Those two things by themselves disqualify her to oversee our public schools’ curriculum and have supervision of our educational system.
She is not a licensed educator and has no knowledge or experience in Iowa. She lacks the qualifications as indicated by the Iowa Code:
Chapter 1, Section 3(2): “The director shall possess a background in education and administrative experience”. She does not hold these basic qualifications.
Snow worked for Betsy DeVos who made no secret of her desire to dismantle public schools. Snow has had frequent job changes and with a focus on school choice, charter schools, and tax credits.
As important, Ms. Snow has little or no knowledge of special education processes in schools and in the AEA. Snow’s only focus in the area of special education has been for parents of children with special needs to enroll in a private home school program whereby special services would be provided by a created scholarship program.
Evidence of some of the damage that occurred in her previous position is described here:
April 2022, McKenzie Snow, former policy director for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Special Assistant to President Donald Trump was appointed to be the Deputy Secretary over K-12 education. Virginia Democrats held a virtual press conference to highlight the damaging policies enacted under Snow in the Trump administration and Governor Youngkin’s war on public schools.
Richmond, VA – After the report that Governor Youngkin has appointed McKenzie Snow, former policy director for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Special Assistant to President Donald Trump to be the Deputy Secretary over K-12 education, Virginia Democrats held a virtual press conference to...
vademocrats.org
In 2024, following Snow’s two year time in the state, Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission identified major shortcomings in the state’s provision of special education services, including low-quality IEPs, a lack of knowledge among educators about how to effectively support students with disabilities and shortfalls in the Virginia Department of Education’s oversight of local divisions. Also, researchers who reviewed 90 randomly selected IEPs found about half lacked goals for academic progress or improved functioning, which are required by federal law. About 37% of parents believed the services outlined in their child’s IEP were only “somewhat” or “not at all appropriate.”
Virginia has faced sharp criticism from parents and the federal government over its compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
virginiamercury.com
Virginia has begun to take steps to correct all of these grievous errors and with enormous money and time.
The original AEA bill made mention 133 times of shifting control of services, special education dollars, and personnel from AEAs and local AEA boards to the Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. Amended versions, and other proposed legislation, continue to give her an unprecedented amount of control, often replacing local oversight. She is not employable as a teacher, principal, superintendent, paraeducator, AEA provider, or administrator, or any accredited PK-12 education position in the state of Iowa.
It is ironic that someone who overturned special education in Virginia was brought here to Iowa, followed by the faulty data report communicated to all citizens and pointing blame at the AEAs, accompanied by the governor’s plans for the dismantling of the AEAs.
We cannot turn over responsibility for all of the education bills that have been passed to someone who lacks the necessary qualifications and experience in education. We need a director with a proven track record of how we can work together to increase student achievement and who has the knowledge and experience of ways we implement continuous improvement to achieve our education goals.
Thank you,
Dr. Pam Vogel
Former Special Education Teacher, Retired Superintendent
