An open letter to Iowa school boards

Dear School Board Members:

Thanks for doing a thankless job. You are shaping the future despite the loud noise coming from the partisan divide. Remember, on this board, it doesn’t matter if you’re left or right wing. It’s about both wings working together so everyone flies.

Lately, you’ve really been dealing with two pandemics. The first is the COVID-19 public health-emergency that put everyone at risk. That crisis quickly spawned a secondary storm threatening to blow away Iowa civility and common sense.

The second storm blew in a wave of distrust for public schools. On one side people were screaming about freedom from wearing masks and questioning vaccines, and on the other side, people urged you to immediately mandate masks and vaccines to protect children and educators. You couldn’t win, and the middle ground was hard to find. Some of your meetings once scary dull, just became scary.

Then the Legislature jumped in, and the storm intensified as lawmakers pretended a statewide school board had all the answers. Local decisions made by school boards were gobbled up by politicians looking for solutions in search of problems. It became hard to be on a local board, and a popular T-shirt slogan became “Legalize teaching.”

Now, hopefully, the first pandemic is burning itself out, and gradually we’ll return to normal. The second storm, however, still is raging, as educators, look for the exits, and parents, students, and community leaders worry about the future of public education in Iowa.

The school boards are truly the last elected non-partisan boards in the state and that means you have the best change to begin repairing the damage from the two pandemics. It’s time to make some needed changes so educators feel empowered enough to stay in a profession they love. Here are a few ideas.

• Stop hiring outside lawyers for talking to your educators across the bargaining table. You can do that as a board, and you’ll save money. Listen to what educators say and make your district the place they want to stay.

• Teachers don’t need a recognition day or one-time bonuses. Bonuses grab headlines but they don’t solve problems. Once a bonus expires, educator salaries go back to being below other professions. Educators deserve a professional salary based on experience and education. If you want to be an attractive district that keeps educators beyond a few years, you must reward them for staying.

• Working conditions matter. Take some things off educators’ plates before things start to tumble off. Don’t chase after every sparkling, new education gimmick. It’s exhausting for teachers and bad for kids.

• Time is often more precious than money. Allow time for teaming. Educating students takes a village, but that village needs time to plan. Give teachers time to teach and time to plan.

• When the bargaining law changed, you could legally eliminate talking about things like leaves, insurance, hours, transfer procedures, and safety provisions. Talk about those things even though the law doesn’t require it. It’s how a board gives educators a voice.

• Please don’t overreact to laws passed meddling in curriculum. Give your teachers the benefit of the doubt. They are professionals, who care about kids. If they didn’t, they’d be doing something else. Yes. Listen to parents, but not always the loudest.

• Encourage parents to partner. Help them volunteer, attend parent teacher conferences, talk directly to their kids’ teachers.

You’ve shown you care about your school and community. You’ve already made a difference, and by taking a few more steps, you will assure that Iowa continues to thrive through both pandemics.

Bruce Lear of Sioux City has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. He grew up in Shellsburg. BruceLear2419@gmail.com