Iowa’s future depends on high-quality local schools. Our best hope for expanding Iowa’s middle class is investing the necessary resources in our students and educators.
That’s why we voted this week to reverse the trend that has dropped Iowa to 35th in the nation when it comes to how much we invest in each student. There is no excuse for Iowa to be 35th in per student investment when Iowa’s economy is in the top half. The amount we invest in each Iowa student should at least be at the national average.
We can’t reach that goal in two years, but boosting school funding by 4 percent in each of the next two years would reverse Iowa’s slide downwards and start us moving in the right direction. The Senate-approved plan focuses on paying for the basics, including purchasing up-to-date textbooks, reducing class sizes, keeping the lights on, gassing up the buses and strengthening teacher quality.
The Senate vote follows an earlier vote in the Republican-controlled Iowa House for a meager 1.25 percent increase. Iowa school superintendents have warned that such a small increase would fail to keep up with costs, resulting in teacher layoffs, crowded classrooms, fewer classes and outdated materials.
As Iowa’s financial support for students relative to other states has fallen, so has our academic progress compared to other states. Our schools have held steady, but other states are investing more and scoring higher as a result.