Inside a rural Iowa school district’s fight to save public education

[Tom Paris]

I'm sure it was just the distribution method, and they'll all be reviewed now. Of course, you'll never know.

Please stop commenting about education. You rarely know what the hell you are talking about. Over and over and over, nothing but being wrong. For crying out loud, the biggest MAGA dipshits on the board agree with you. That should tell you how effed up your thinking is. Yet, you won't change. Everything we have told you would happen has come to fruition.

Again, you only seem to care about the education of a certain type of Iowa child.

 

[StallmanCurse]

If you're a parent, your school has infinite campus (or other similar product) available for you to track everything going on with your kids. If you're not a parent, you don't need it.

Now keep in mind, I'm speaking specifically about Iowa. If you live elsewhere, I don't know what to tell you because things might be different.

As for the SB meetings, I haven't heard of any not being broadcast live. Some use YouTube, some use FB live, some use NFHS network, etc. I'd be showing up at a SB meeting and demanding to know why, because again, I haven't heard of it.

Our school uses JMC to track student communication. To my knowledge, there is no communication in JMC regarding SB meetings, which is the entirety of my involvement in this thread.

Our school board president posts the meeting agenda on the school website and town FB group. The only way to get on the agenda is to call or text the board president. No formal agenda process that I'm aware of.

Board meetings are audibly recorded. If the meeting involves a closed session, that recording is vaulted for two years. Again, there is currently no live broadcast or video recording.

 

[gohawks50]

Our school uses JMC to track student communication. To my knowledge, there is no communication in JMC regarding SB meetings, which is the entirety of my involvement in this thread.

Our school board president posts the meeting agenda on the school website and town FB group. The only way to get on the agenda is to call or text the board president. No formal agenda process that I'm aware of.

Board meetings are audibly recorded. If the meeting involves a closed session, that recording is vaulted for two years. Again, there is currently no live broadcast or video recording.

Are you saying you can't view the agenda on the school website?

Are you a parent or just a concerned community member? I'm asking because most schools have mailing lists they use for sending mass emails to parents. You might want to call the office and see if they do something like this. They might even be willing to add you to the list as a community member even if you are not a parent. I retired and moved away from the district where I used to teach, but I asked to be put on the parent email list so I could keep up with everything happening there. I still get their school board agenda emails every month and I have been retired for 7 years.

 

[StallmanCurse]

Are you saying you can't view the agenda on the school website?

No, I'm not saying that. My 2nd paragraph addresses that.

 

[Jedhawk77]

I value the Constirtution and its spirit more than I do parental options.,I fully support private /parochial schools in America… they should not be financed with tax money and not be regulated by the public.

This this this! I will never understand how R's don't understand this. They have pushed me to be an independent,

 

[gohawks50]

No, I'm not saying that. My 2nd paragraph addresses that.

How big is the district? I'm not aware of any formal process to getting on the agenda at my old school either. I'm pretty sure you would have had to make arrangements with the superintendent, but it was a small district. Larger districts probably have a more formal process.

 

[hexumhawk]

It’s really not. It’s actually a pretty simple request: accept public money, accept public standards.

None of the pro-school choice crowd ever wants to address that piece.

Colleges take public money and yet they can discriminate on who is allowed to enroll.

They $$$ belongs to the people that are paying the taxes. If public schools are good at what they do, they will have no problem succeeding in this new environment.

 

[hexumhawk]

This this this! I will never understand how R's don't understand this. They have pushed me to be an independent,

It is a valid point in the grand scheme of things. However, if we are classifying education as a community/public service then the funds should be able to be used for any means to that education to the people that are directly receiving it. Private, public, home, etc.

 

[Jedhawk77]

It is a valid point in the grand scheme of things. However, if we are classifying education as a community/public service then the funds should be able to be used for any means to that education to the people that are directly receiving it. Private, public, home, etc.

With no accountability of how it is spent? That is ridiculous. Are you just trying to play devils advocate? You truly don't feel this way do you?

 

[hexumhawk]

With no accountability of how it is spent? That is ridiculous. Are you just trying to play devils advocate? You truly don't feel this way do you?

What do you mean no accountability? Arent the public, private schools accredited and have to meet basic requirements for graduation. Home schoolers have to pass requirements.

Why do you want to force kids in to one school when other places and avenues might be better for them?

 

[Jedhawk77]

You don't want to know how their budget is spent with tax dollars? Noone is forced to public schools. Private schools have always been an option.

What do you mean no accountability? Arent the public, private schools accredited and have to meet basic requirements for graduation. Home schoolers have to pass requirements.

Why do you want to force kids in to one school when other places and avenues might be better for them?

 

[joelbc1]

School Board meetings are not public hearings. They are business meeting of the board held in public. They are not setup for free flowing discourse about anything the public wants to discuss without restriction. The board is elected to represent the views of the electorate, not be a a receiver of grievances in a public setting.

The role of the school board is to hire a superintendent, set forth the broad policy structure that the superintendent is to operate within, and receive, review, and approve certain items (personnel decisions, payroll expenditures, accounts payable, curriculum adoption). Even the best board members I have worked with over the years don't have the capacity to discuss the details of the school corporation and rely on the professionals they hire to represent them in that area.

I have worked in and around schools for 2 decades and have attended ~300 school board meetings. There have been very few if any situations where productive results of come from someone showing up out of the blue with no prior communication to "hold a board member publicly accountable".

The best school boards are the school boards who understand they do not have all the answers and use “educational experts” ( folks with educational expertise/experience) to provide data and numbers so they can make sensible (not necessarily popular/ trendy) decisions.

 

[Hawki97]

You don't want to know how their budget is spent with tax dollars? Noone is forced to public schools. Private schools have always been an option.

Parents have always had a choice. Taxpayer subsidized choice is what we have now.

If you don't think you did before - let me channel my inner @hexumhawk / republican here - then get a job hippy. Good things come to those who work for it.

 

[Pinehawk]

Parents have always had a choice. Taxpayer subsidized choice is what we have now.

We have always had taxpayer subsidized choice. Public school isn't 'free'.

 

[StallmanCurse]

Iowa City uses Infinite Campus. It has everything you’d ever need or want to know about what’s going on with your student, the school, and extras. Any time I hear a parent say they didn’t know about something or it wasn’t communicated…this is me:

Your post is a response to Lunchbox's tangent, not the topic of my original post. Reply to him.

 

[Hawki97]

We have always had taxpayer subsidized choice. Public school isn't 'free'.

Close but no cigar my Regina friend.

What we've always had is a method by which to deliver a service required by the laws of our land to every child that needs / wants it (i.e. the public) and it is funded by the taxpayers.

Utilizing anything beyond that is a choice. A choice that has been available since the day a private institution opened its doors to those willing to work hard and pay for it. A choice that until now - rightfully so because it's a transaction between a private individual and a private entity - was not taxpayer subsidized.

You and your ilk in state govt. have decided to change this seemingly obvious conflict in the use of public vs. private dollars. Congratulations.

 

[Pinehawk]

What we've always had is a method by which to deliver a service required by the laws of our land to every child that needs / wants it (i.e. the public) and it is funded by the taxpayers.

Utilizing anything beyond that is a choice.

Not anymore. The laws of the land have changed.

 

[bunsen82]

They have not been underfunded.

They most certainly have. You get what you pay for. Currently the state continues to reduce funding on an inflation adjusted basis every year for over 2 decades.

 

[srams21]

Why are you against parents having more options than before?

They had those same options before. They could have sent junior to a private school before.

 

[hexumhawk]

They had those same options before. They could have sent junior to a private school before.

So they should in essence "pay double" and be grateful?

 

[EasyHawk]

They had those same options before. They could have sent junior to a private school before.

Have you seen junior's grades?

 

[srams21]

Rural Iowa has been holding on to schools that should have closed twenty years ago.

This part I mostly agree with you.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Colleges take public money and yet they can discriminate on who is allowed to enroll.

They $$$ belongs to the people that are paying the taxes. If public schools are good at what they do, they will have no problem succeeding in this new environment.

so they are not required to report any data?

 

[joelbc1]

Not anymore. The laws of the land have changed.

The laws of IOWA have changed. They can changed back, too.

 

[srams21]

So they should in essence "pay double" and be grateful?

Well they had an option to "pay double" as you say. Private school was always (and imo should still be) an option for those who can afford and/or want it. Many private schools had financial packages available for low income families.

Public school is important because it means we as a society value a baseline level of education that is available to all. When you go the voucher route for private schools, it takes funds away from public education and lowers that baseline over time. That hurts the greater good.

But it shouldn't surprise me as this country has shifted away (on both sides) from things that are for the greater good and we are all in on things "for me".

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Using the athletic method of counting, why should schools with under 150 enrollment even exist? I know busing will be brought up, but it makes no sense on quality or otherwise.

 

[Pinehawk]

The Iowa City District finally decided to close Hills Elementary. It will save 1.66 million dollars. 126 total kids went to school there. Only 45 of which actually live in Hills. $13,174/student. Private school can do it for half the cost.

 

[Hawki97]

Not anymore. The laws of the land have changed.

This falls under the "No shit, Sherlock" category. You're the one who brought up past scenarios, not me my Regina friend. Which part of my post above this congratulating you and your ilk in state govt. on the change didn't you understand?

 

[DooBi]

I'm not going to read the whole thread but did anyone point out that nothing the state did changed from years past that caused this? They still raised the amount by 2.5% which has been standard for the last 30 years. The reason they have to cut is because they lost 100 students which created more than 3 quarters of a million dollars less funding for the district.

I think we should increase by more than 2.5% every year but that's a different discussion for (oh my God he's going to say it!) both sides.

 

[Pinehawk]

This falls under the "No shit, Sherlock" category. You're the one who brought up past scenarios, not me my Regina friend. Which part of my post above this congratulating you and your ilk in state govt. on the change didn't you understand?

I guess I'll just accept the congratulations.

 

[globalhawk]

Using the athletic method of counting, why should schools with under 150 enrollment even exist? I know busing will be brought up, but it makes no sense on quality or otherwise.

Time students spend traveling should be a consideration.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Colleges take public money and yet they can discriminate on who is allowed to enroll.

They $$$ belongs to the people that are paying the taxes. If public schools are good at what they do, they will have no problem succeeding in this new environment.

So they should in essence "pay double" and be grateful?

You are a narrow minded fool. I served on a school board for 4 years. We tried to be as fiscally responsible as possible. School Boards are hijacked by the legislature every year before they can make a budget in a matter of days. It is wavering waters at best.

The private schools take benefits of the public schools, but not vice versa. If someone thinks their kid needs to go to a private school, fine. Pay for it. Don't make the rest of us pay to indoctrinate your child in your chosen religion.

Finally, and what I think my biggest concern is this: If we fail the public school kids, we are failing as a society. Data and my own experience practicing law indicates that if we fail them when they are students, they will fail us when they become adults. If you want to talk about dropping crime rates, look at the root of the problem.

 

[gohawks50]

Using the athletic method of counting, why should schools with under 150 enrollment even exist? I know busing will be brought up, but it makes no sense on quality or otherwise.

Iowa law says elementary students can't be bussed for longer than 60 minutes. High school students can only be bussed for 75 minutes.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

The board leverages these rules to operate legally, yet avoid accountability and transparency.

Weird. We elect our school board. If you want to hold them accountable, try doing that.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

It is a valid point in the grand scheme of things. However, if we are classifying education as a community/public service then the funds should be able to be used for any means to that education to the people that are directly receiving it. Private, public, home, etc.

It's like talking to a wall. First, very, VERY few people pay the full cost of a public school education. Much of the tax burden is borne by people who don't have school-age kids and businesses. It's a public responsibility. Your public school tuition is subsidized by those entities. The money you get for your private school voucher ISN'T YOUR MONEY. Did YOU pay $7,600 in state and local taxes last year? That gets you one child's voucher. And really not even that. You'd have to pay something well over that amount since your taxes go to fund all kinds of things. So...how much did you pay last year? Do you think a family with four kids in private school paid over $30K in state and local taxes??

Second, as I have already posted and you have studiously avoided addressing...

They can choose whatever the hell they want. The public shouldn't be forced to pay for their private school choice. If you don't like that, the answer is simple: Accept public money, accept public responsibilities.

1. They must accept every student who applies - same as public schools.

2. They can’t charge any more for voucher students than the voucher pays - same as public schools.

3. They must follow and allocate funds for every accommodation in a student’s IEP/504 - same as public schools

4. No student under 16 may be expelled unless the school fully funds an alternative placement that meets the student’s needs - same as public schools

5. Every student must take every state and local mandated test - same as public schools

If THEY don't like those public responsibilities, they pay their own way. Why do you have a problem with that?

 

[Hawki97]

I guess I'll just accept the congratulations.

Good job, Regina friend.

Luckily for the world, there are yings to people’s yang.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Iowa law says elementary students can't be bussed for longer than 60 minutes. High school students can only be bussed for 75 minutes.

I'm thinking like Highland, WMU and WACO. All small schools. Relatively short distances. There are others. Or WMU and WACO going to Mt. Pleasant and Highland to Columbus and Lone Tree. Maybe Highland to Mid Prairie. Bus routes can be figured out and not all of one grade needs to be in one building.

Where I live, buses are for sure not full and the parent lines...that is a whole different subject. I'm still a certified teacher in 2 states having taught. Just don't really know how small schools can meet all needs of students. As nostalgic as small schools are, test scores from small schools are lower. Some do to lack of support services, others due to lack of AP classes and so on.

 

[joelbc1]

I'm thinking like Highland, WMU and WACO. All small schools. Relatively short distances. There are others. Or WMU and WACO going to Mt. Pleasant and Highland to Columbus and Lone Tree. Maybe Highland to Mid Prairie. Bus routes can be figured out and not all of one grade needs to be in one building.

Where I live, buses are for sure not full and the parent lines...that is a whole different subject. I'm still a certified teacher in 2 states having taught. Just don't really know how small schools can meet all needs of students. As nostalgic as small schools are, test scores from small schools are lower. Some do to lack of support services, others due to lack of AP classes and so on.

That “lack of support services” will be greatly aided by Kim and her AEA cut-backs, too! This new education program of the Governor’s is well coordinated, through and through.

 

[StallmanCurse]

Weird. We elect our school board. If you want to hold them accountable, try doing that.

Hmm, did you read my whole post or just the sliver you quoted?

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

It's like talking to a wall. First, very, VERY few people pay the full cost of a public school education. Much of the tax burden is borne by people who don't have school-age kids and businesses. It's a public responsibility. Your public school tuition is subsidized by those entities. The money you get for your private school voucher ISN'T YOUR MONEY. Did YOU pay $7,600 in state and local taxes last year? That gets you one child's voucher. And really not even that. You'd have to pay something well over that amount since your taxes go to fund all kinds of things. So...how much did you pay last year? Do you think a family with four kids in private school paid over $30K in state and local taxes??

Second, as I have already posted and you have studiously avoided addressing...

They can choose whatever the hell they want. The public shouldn't be forced to pay for their private school choice. If you don't like that, the answer is simple: Accept public money, accept public responsibilities.

1. They must accept every student who applies - same as public schools.

2. They can’t charge any more for voucher students than the voucher pays - same as public schools.

3. They must follow and allocate funds for every accommodation in a student’s IEP/504 - same as public schools

4. No student under 16 may be expelled unless the school fully funds an alternative placement that meets the student’s needs - same as public schools

5. Every student must take every state and local mandated test - same as public schools

If THEY don't like those public responsibilities, they pay their own way. Why do you have a problem with that?

What is not in this whether public or private is how difficult schools can be about implementing a 504/IEP. The educational attorney business is getting busy.