Dear administrators and school boards, It’s been a tough winter. Public schools endured repeated assaults from a governor focused on consolidating power, and a Legislature refusing to provide a check on her power grab.
The public-school family is hurting.
Educators are the most optimistic people. After all, you help students mature from children to responsible young adults. That takes a mixture of optimism, idealism, hope, magic, and hard work.
But please don’t pretend everything is OK when it’s not. If you smile and tell the public everything is all right, they’ll keep the party hurting public schools in power.
For the last decade public schools have been underfunded and recently they’ve been attacked for political gain by those who either want to get along with their leadership or those who want to destroy public education in Iowa. I know it’s tempting to spin what’s happened and put a good face on the coming year.
But be honest and tell the public what Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican legislators have done to our public schools. It’s hurting our kids’ future and it’s making Iowa an unwelcoming place.
Here are three actions you can take.
First, don’t allow guns in your district. Please do it now, for a couple reasons. There are quite a few educators who want to know, so they can make an informed choice about staying in your district. Secondly, parents have a right to know, so they can explore open enrollment options.
Yes, the law provides qualified immunity for the use of reasonable force, but liability insurance companies are going to raise premiums based on perceived risk. Money needed to educate will instead be used to insure.
Second, AEA educators are part of the education family. Iowa has already lost 350 of these professionals across the state. I know it’s tempting to use, media and educational service funds for other uses. Please don’t reallocate those funds without first seriously talking to your teachers and support staff. Many of the AEA services are invisible but essential.
When you have a chance to contract special education services from a private for-profit vendor, think carefully. They may offer a bargain price initially and then raise the rates for more profit. It’s safer to use the AEA, a trusted vendor for 50 years.
It’s also tempting for large schools to become a tacit AEA for surrounding smaller districts. Don’t do it. Because the AEA provides regional service for many districts, it enjoys economy of scale. You won’t be able to sustain providing these services and they won’t match what the AEA can provide.
Third, please let your teachers teach. The recent changes to the social studies and literature curricula hurt teacher autonomy and replaces it with legislative spin. Trust teachers and support them amid controversy.
Thanks for stepping up to protect public schools. The public-school family needs to watch out for one another and work to change the members of that big school board under the Golden Dome.
Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught in public schools for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. BruceLear2419@gmail.com
www.thegazette.com
The public-school family is hurting.
Educators are the most optimistic people. After all, you help students mature from children to responsible young adults. That takes a mixture of optimism, idealism, hope, magic, and hard work.
But please don’t pretend everything is OK when it’s not. If you smile and tell the public everything is all right, they’ll keep the party hurting public schools in power.
For the last decade public schools have been underfunded and recently they’ve been attacked for political gain by those who either want to get along with their leadership or those who want to destroy public education in Iowa. I know it’s tempting to spin what’s happened and put a good face on the coming year.
But be honest and tell the public what Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican legislators have done to our public schools. It’s hurting our kids’ future and it’s making Iowa an unwelcoming place.
Here are three actions you can take.
First, don’t allow guns in your district. Please do it now, for a couple reasons. There are quite a few educators who want to know, so they can make an informed choice about staying in your district. Secondly, parents have a right to know, so they can explore open enrollment options.
Yes, the law provides qualified immunity for the use of reasonable force, but liability insurance companies are going to raise premiums based on perceived risk. Money needed to educate will instead be used to insure.
Second, AEA educators are part of the education family. Iowa has already lost 350 of these professionals across the state. I know it’s tempting to use, media and educational service funds for other uses. Please don’t reallocate those funds without first seriously talking to your teachers and support staff. Many of the AEA services are invisible but essential.
When you have a chance to contract special education services from a private for-profit vendor, think carefully. They may offer a bargain price initially and then raise the rates for more profit. It’s safer to use the AEA, a trusted vendor for 50 years.
It’s also tempting for large schools to become a tacit AEA for surrounding smaller districts. Don’t do it. Because the AEA provides regional service for many districts, it enjoys economy of scale. You won’t be able to sustain providing these services and they won’t match what the AEA can provide.
Third, please let your teachers teach. The recent changes to the social studies and literature curricula hurt teacher autonomy and replaces it with legislative spin. Trust teachers and support them amid controversy.
Thanks for stepping up to protect public schools. The public-school family needs to watch out for one another and work to change the members of that big school board under the Golden Dome.
Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught in public schools for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. BruceLear2419@gmail.com
Opinion: Don’t pretend public education is OK in Iowa
For the last decade public schools have been underfunded and recently they’ve been attacked for political gain.
www.thegazette.com
