~by Mary Weaver
Editor’s note – This week debuts a new column, “View from My Window,” by Mary Weaver of rural Rippey. Weaver is a fourth generation Greene Countian, a retired public health nurse/administrator, and chair of the Iowa Women’s Democratic Caucus.
According to the columnist, her bi-weekly columns will serve as an opportunity to provide data and information. Readers are asked to respond and most importantly dialogue with their friends, relatives, and coffee klatch members about the subject(s). This column is being offered to create meaningful conversations about issues important to rural west central Iowa and its citizens.
GreeneCountyNewsOnline will welcome responses as letters to the editor.
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The upcoming Legislative session will begin Jan. 9, 2023. The State of Iowa has a Republican trifecta, with the Governorship, Senate, and House all being controlled by the Republican Party.
In the 2022 mid-term elections Greene County voted strongly Republican, with Governor Kim Reynolds receiving 68.1 percent of the vote and House candidate Carter Nordman winning District 46 with 65.2 percent.
BUT, Greene Countians, are you aware that Gov. Reynolds wants to transfer your tax dollars to private schools? It is hidden in her message of parents having choices for their children. Greene County, like many other rural counties, does not have a charter or private school. Greene County /Paton-Churdan does have an estimated 34 home-schooled children. However, that number is vague as there is no required reporting of school-aged children.
In interviews with Greene County Community School District superintendent Brett Abbotts and Paton -Churdan principal, Annie Smith, they informed me $7,418 of State Supplemental Aide (SSA)is currently allocated per pupil. Home-schooled students within the district have only 0.3 or 30 percent, or $2,225 per student allocated to the district, but for use to support the homeschooled students.
Under proposed legislation recommended by Reynolds and supported by House leader Pat Grassley, there will be legislation to raise the SSA amount to $8,300, but it will be in the same legislative bill that will allow private vouchers, or public tax dollars to be shifted to private schools. The dollar amount to be allocated to private schools has not been made available to the public. There is no oversight of these public dollars once allocated in the vouchers to private schools. Concern is growing that if the state picks up the cost of a private schools, there will not be adequate money to fund public schools.
It is expected this same legislation will create a system for $8,300 to be directly deposited to parents of the private schools/home schoolers’ bank accounts. These funds may be used at the parent’s discretion. Private school students or charter school students do not have to accept all students, they and homeschoolers do not have established curriculum requirements, do not have required supervision or testing, nor do they have to hire certified teachers.
Principal Smith requested and welcomed current Greene County Senator Jesse Green to visit her school last year. During the tour of the school, she explained the unevenness of the playing field requirements between private schools compared to public schools. She described him as listening, but not willing to acknowledge the difference.
Superintendent Abbotts hypothesizes that 6.5 students being sent to a charter or private school equals a starting teacher’s salary. Allocation cuts to schools mean fewer bus drivers, fewer teacher’s aides, the loss of a school nurse, and perhaps even program cuts.
This proposed legislation is disheartening for educators and financially hurtful to Greene County Schools and ultimately our community.
It is expected this legislation will be one of the first things addressed during the upcoming session. Interactions with Representative Nordham, and Senator Green expressing your views regarding taxpayers’ money being directed to private citizens is of high priority for our young persons living in Greene County as well as the sustainability of our rural schools.
