Education director’s hasty hire doesn’t consider needs of students

The "new" director of the Iowa Department of Education, Chad Aldis, did not last three months. He resigned last Friday, June 23. (Friday afternoons are usually when news that people want to bury gets released).

Within hours, a new appointee was named while the Governor was conveniently abroad on an international trade mission. McKenzie Snow started on Monday. Her claim to an education background is that she worked for Betsy DeVos during the Trump Administration, pushing “school choice” to move public dollars to private schools nationally, then in Florida and in Virginia (staying only about one year in each of the last three years in any job.)

Are the needs of students being considered in these appointments? I’ve been a member of the Vinton-Shellsburg school board for almost 10 years, and I think not!

In my opinion, do not blame the hardworking Iowa teachers, administrators, support staffs, and school boards for any loss of educational growth … blame these elected officials for underfunding education from early childhood through college and for this revolving door of unqualified leadership.

Is this the outcome Iowans wanted when they voted for these folks to continue in the Governor’s office and in the legislature? I doubt it.

But voters have power. We can pay attention. We can remember the harm being done to our kids. We can publicly support our local school boards and school personnel. We can vote our elected political ideologues and legislative lackeys out.

Kathleen Van Steenhuyse

Vinton