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

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.
Are the private schools in Iowa receiving Federal funding? Edit: Also, by law, if private schools are receiving the funds they have very different sets of rules. Easy Google search.
 
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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?
More refusal to actually grasp the situation.
 
Bus routes can be figured out and not all of one grade needs to be in one building.
That may be possible, but the biggest savings for consolidation is staff reduction. If grade levels aren't centralized you can't reduce your teaching staff.
 
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The left advocates for equal disciplinary outcomes and then a profession dominated by left leaning people complain that they can't remove problem students.
You forgot to throw in catch phrases about CRT and trans groomers.
It's your kids that are getting the short end of the stick. Lib kids in Lib cities will have the resources needed. We value education.
 
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.
When do you think the private school will open up in Hills?
 
Any decline in public school education, perceived or real, can be directly attributed to parenting, imo.

Whether it's making kids go to school, attending parent/teacher conferences(or NOT attending), following up on notices from the school, or asking their kids about the school environment...parents seem to expect teachers to be disciplinarians/probation officers/babysitters.

It really is that simple.

IT'S NOT CURRICULUM!
 
That may be possible, but the biggest savings for consolidation is staff reduction. If grade levels aren't centralized you can't reduce your teaching staff.
Some buildings would have to close which saves on upkeep and admin costs. No easy solution that is for sure. I taught in a very small school in ND (like 18 seniors) and there was something special about it, but at the same time there were kids with the same last name dating (no kidding - 2nd Cousins and not just a couple of them). I never saw more tight knit student relations, but at the same time they had one prin and he was in over his head and kids took advantage of him. No student support to speak of for special needs. There were some of the best teachers I taught with ever, but at the same time there was only one HS math teacher and he was not good. I taught a class in jr high I really shouldn't have to fit the needs. Actually one of the kids ended up in the Bush Admin...

But from a cost effectiveness it's not sustainable. Almost ALL population growth in Iowa is immigration (Spanish speaking). Put another way, the state ain't growing internally outside of Des Moines, maybe Council Bluffs/Iowa City (greater). Even with immigration, it won't be a big boost to rural areas (again away from growing metros. Maybe places like Mid Prairie will see some growth.

I have 6 kids that went to a metro area bedroom school that is quite competitive. 2 engineers, one attorney (at Iowa Law School), 2 in college (1 grad school and one married to an officer teaching at West Point). One of the engineers graduated at a very high ranked mech eng program with honors and couldn't get into high math due to how difficult it was. The only reason he got in was due to where he went to HS based on his class rank.

Granted the wife is from a family of brainiacs, but a lot of the success is due to the Public HS they graduated from. Going to Lone Tree may be good for friends but that ends Also going to a big school allowed them to pick friends groups were at small schools that is more difficult when it comes to alcohol etc.
 
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Are the private schools in Iowa receiving Federal funding? Edit: Also, by law, if private schools are receiving the funds they have very different sets of rules. Easy Google search.
I get that. But even public schools try and get out of it when they can.

We'd rather fund wars and pharma than schools.
 
Some buildings would have to close which saves on upkeep and admin costs. No easy solution that is for sure. I taught in a very small school in ND (like 18 seniors) and there was something special about it, but at the same time there were kids with the same last name dating (no kidding - 2nd Cousins and not just a couple of them). I never saw more tight knit student relations, but at the same time they had one prin and he was in over his head and kids took advantage of him. No student support to speak of for special needs. There were some of the best teachers I taught with ever, but at the same time there was only one HS math teacher and he was not good. I taught a class in jr high I really shouldn't have to fit the needs. Actually one of the kids ended up in the Bush Admin...

But from a cost effectiveness it's not sustainable. Almost ALL population growth in Iowa is immigration (Spanish speaking). Put another way, the state ain't growing internally outside of Des Moines, maybe Council Bluffs/Iowa City (greater). Even with immigration, it won't be a big boost to rural areas (again away from growing metros. Maybe places like Mid Prairie will see some growth.

I have 6 kids that went to a metro area bedroom school that is quite competitive. 2 engineers, one attorney (at Iowa Law School), 2 in college (1 grad school and one married to an officer teaching at West Point). One of the engineers graduated at a very high ranked mech eng program with honors and couldn't get into high math due to how difficult it was. The only reason he got in was due to where he went to HS based on his class rank.

Granted the wife is from a family of brainiacs, but a lot of the success is due to the Public HS they graduated from. Going to Lone Tree may be good for friends but that ends Also going to a big school allowed them to pick friends groups were at small schools that is more difficult when it comes to alcohol etc.
There are advantages to both big and small schools. I was just pointing out that your proposal of not having all grade level students at one building would not allow for staff reduction.

I am not saying that school consolidation is a bad thing, but if one or the other party endorses this idea don't expect to get the small town rural vote. Little towns revolve around their schools. They are a source of pride and entertainment for the community. Most rural communities die off when they no longer have the school in their town.
 
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?
You said yourself that you feel education is a community need and for the betterment of society. If you are an accredited place of education, why do I care where someone goes and uses their money? As far as taxes go, I paid taxes for years while not having kids of school age. Guess what - I will do the same again when the kids are out of school for the rest of my life. There are plenty of taxes that we pay as a collective society that I don't agree with so maybe you should put this in that column for you.

You seem to have a problem with the fact that private schools can be selective. Do you know that colleges receive tax money and are selective on who can attend. Every situation is different for every family and I love that fact that they are able to decide what is best for them. Public schools will adjust and I would start with the over staffing and administrative bloat.
 
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You said yourself that you feel education is a community need and for the betterment of society. If you are an accredited place of education, why do I care where someone goes and uses their money? As far as taxes go, I paid taxes for years while not having kids of school age. Guess what - I will do the same again when the kids are out of school for the rest of my life. There are plenty of taxes that we pay as a collective society that I don't agree with so maybe you should put this in that column for you.

You seem to have a problem with the fact that private schools can be selective. Do you know that colleges receive tax money and are selective on who can attend. Every situation is different for every family and I love that fact that they are able to decide what is best for them. Public schools will adjust and I would start with the over staffing and administrative bloat.
SMH.
 
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".
It doesn't "take money away" from Public schools. ALL tax money shouldn't be considered theirs and that is the end of the discussion. That is a monopoly of the service. I agree that education is an important fundamental element of our society. I believe that those choices be put in the families hands however.

Public school will be fine but they will just need at adjust to lower numbers and lower budgets.
 
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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?
Some private schools that were set up to meet the need of all the new voucher money in Wisconsin. Opened up for a couple years then lost accreditation. The owners fled and opened up a new one in Ohio. All of the students that were in the school got put into limbo.
Getting accredited isn’t as difficult as it should be. Florida and Louisiana’s programs have also had issues with this.
 
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