Our communities need fully-funded public schools

The Public Broadcasting Service likes to say “a free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.” The same holds true for a robust, vibrant public education system. It’s absolutely essential for living in a multi-racial, multi-cultural, pluralistic democracy. Our community schools help us get to E Pluribus Unum.

As expected, the Iowa House and Senate have voted to short-change K-12 public education by over $100 million. That’s abysmal, and short-sighted. Our public schools were once prized as an Iowa treasure. Those days are long gone.

Nowadays, Statehouse Republicans and Gov. Kim Reynolds are hell-bent on waging a culture war to dismantle and defund our public schools. But it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s up to us – ordinary people across the state through grassroots organizations like Iowa CCI – to push and prod our elected officials for fully-funded public schools and an end to the wrong-headed private voucher program.

We can’t afford to sit back and let Reynolds and her political cronies run roughshod over our public education system. Too much is at stake. We have to get involved and stay involved, and vote for candidates who champion our community schools.

Public money should be used for public schools. It’s a wise investment of taxpayer funds that pays huge dividends to our kids, communities, democracy and way of life. We ignore this at our own peril.

Hugh Espey

Des Moines