School districts are trapped in Hobson’s choice

We’ve all probably been trapped in a no-win situation. There’s no way out. There’s no good choice.

That’s often called Hobson’s choice. It was supposedly named after a 17th century stable owner named Hobson who had a corner on the market and forced customers to choose the horse closest to the door or take no horse at all.

Customers had no real choice. They could walk or pay good money for a bad horse which Hobson always located closest to the door.

The majority party in the Iowa Legislature has trapped public schools in a no-win situation. And it isn’t about a broken-down horse, it’s about the futures of public-school students.

The Senate passed a State Supplemental Aid (SSA) increase of 1.75%. The Governor proposed a 2% increase. The House Appropriations subcommittee voted for an increase of 2.25%. The full House amended the Senate’s 1.75% increase to 2%, and it passed both chambers.

One chamber’s proposal was a punch in the face. The other was a punch in the stomach. Every education group said schools needed at least a 5% increase to survive chronic underfunding and inflation.

A 2% increase to SSA means per pupil spending will be $8,148 a $160 increase per student. My guess is that most families will spend more than $160 on each of their students just getting them outfitted for the new school year.

Public schools will need to make no-win choices impacting students and the communities where they live. Cutting programs, teacher layoffs, increasing class sizes, closing buildings, and four-day school weeks, will be on many school board agendas. Taxpayers could see property tax increases. If a town loses all or part of its public school, the town is on a death watch.

So, what caused Hobson’s choice?

First, $8,148 cost per pupil will be available to all private school students who apply regardless of income. There’s no ceiling on that number. Although the exact numbers are sketchy, in 2024, approximately 27,866 students received private school vouchers.

By 2023 that number grew by 11,109 students. If the private school voucher plan continues to grow unchecked, 2% might well become the meager maximum increase for all future years. Quite simply, Iowa can’t afford two publicly funded school systems separate and unequal.

Second, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Service Agency, Iowa’s revenue decreased by 8.1% from fiscal year 2024. That means this year lawmakers will tap into $3.75 billion from the Taxpayer Relief Fund and another $2 billion from the budget surplus.

Third, The majority party seems to favor private over public schools. A new private school voucher plan combined with income tax cuts blew a hole in the budget.

The majority party has been in control for a decade, and Iowa schools have suffered from chronic underfunding. It’s time for voters to stop politicians offering public schools only Hobson’s choices.

Bruce Lear taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired. BruceLear2419@gmail.com