School cuts the result of bad management

Regarding the April 12 story, 'I.C. superintendent says cuts are final”:

The Iowa City Community School District budget shortfall is its own doing. It is misleading for Superintendent Stephen Murley to blame the Iowa House and governor for bad management and decisions. If one has X amount of money, one should spend only that amount and manage hiring to stay within budget.

This is not the fault of the Legislature and the governor. Since the recession, the educational funding in 34 states remains below pre-recession levels. Iowa is one of only two states that have increased K-12 funding by more than 10 percent - more than $500 million in new tax money to the schools since fiscal 2012. That is not a lack of support for education.

During the 10 years before 2012, there was a history of overpromising and underfunding education by the Legislature, as well as across-the-board cuts by the previous governor. Promising something, then not providing it, and taking back your promise, is not helpful to our schools.

Must programs be cut? Maybe. But if so, blame poor management. This did not appear overnight. For Murley to make major cuts six weeks before the end of school and to blame them on the Legislature and governor is nothing more than Washington, D.C.-style political pandering. For The Gazette to print this story without additional research is troubling. I expected more.

Deborah D. Thornton

Parent of an Iowa City school district student