A scary surprise for parents and educators

We love surprises when we anticipate they’ll be positive. We dread the surprise of a car not starting on a subzero morning, a call at 2 a.m. from a loved one crying, or a doctor’s hushed prognosis.

Lately, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State speech is a scary surprise party for public educators and parents.

Last year she used her speech to accuse teachers and librarians of being pornography peddlers and student groomers. She proclaimed parents should run the schools but forgot to mention those parents didn’t include those with LGBTQ kids and those who want to have real classroom discussions about real world issues. Then in her third attempt to ram private school vouchers through she surprised even her own party by introducing the largest and most expensive entitlements in the country.

This year after promising a “comprehensive study on Area Education Agencies,” But in her speech she detailed a plan for AEAs with no study and no warning to stakeholders. On the second day of the legislative session, she introduced House Study Bill 542, which basically dismantles AEAs, likely written by outside consultants.

Surprise! Cue the panic and fear.

The legislative process may drastically alter the bill. What I don’t understand is why school boards, parents, administrators, and educators didn’t get a “heads up” so they could begin preparing and developing a plan.

The bill has two parts. The first part raises school district teacher salaries but with unacceptable strings. Those provisions also have quite a few critical problems.

It’s the second part of the bill that’s causing the most immediate angst. It takes a wrecking ball to Area Education Agencies that have provided high quality service to public and private schools since 1974.

It eliminates media and educational service divisions. It also says districts can stay with their AEA for special education services, partner with other districts for those services, or contract with a private for-profit-company.

Even with money previously provided to the AEA, there’s no way individual school districts will be able to afford enough speech pathologists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and special education consultants to meet student needs.

Like the voucher plan, this plan is to throw open the door for-profit-companies. Private companies are going to go where the money is. That’s not rural Iowa. This will hurt all public and private schools who rely on these services, but small schools the most.

Parents, educators, and community leaders can help protect the AEAs by writing to legislators now. Here are the addresses.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov.

School boards should adopt resolutions in support of AEAs. It can be simple.

If the structure is altered in any manner, a comprehensive study should be conducted prior to making any changes. That study should include educators, parents, and school board members as full voting participants.

Education is Iowa’s foundation. Let’s not let it crumble by surprise.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. BruceLear2419@gmail.com