Culver challenges Branstad on promises to slash preschool funding

Gov. Chet Culver demanded that his challenger tell Iowans whether he plans to uphold the “extreme” promises he made during the Republican primary campaign to slash funding for preschool and children's health.

“I have a couple of questions for Terry Branstad,” Culver said at a “milk party” at the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville Oct. 22. “Why do you want to take away education from the 22,000 Iowa children who use our state preschool program? Why do you want to cut the funding for children's health insurance and put the health of our kids at risk?”

Iowans deserve to know the answers, said Culver, who was campaigning with Sen. Tom Harkin.

“This election is about priorities,” the first-term Democrat continued, and Branstad “apparently thinks we should not help our children succeed.”

The notion Branstad is some sort of extremist is extreme in itself, according to the four-term former governor's campaign.

“Terry Branstad is about as extreme as a vanilla ice cream cone,” spokesman Tim Albrecht said.

As to Culver's “demands,” Albrecht said Branstad will extend preschool access to all children.

However, the two candidates disagree on how education for 4-year-olds should be paid for.

“Those who can afford to pay for preschool will do so, and families who are unable to pay for preschool will be given scholarships allowing those children to attend,” Albrecht explained.

“At a time when Culver's budget cuts have led to laying off teachers in K-12 education, and massive property tax increases across the state,” he continued, “we need to make sure preschool assistance is given to those needing it the most.”

That wasn't good enough for Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee.

“We don't separate people and say, ‘If you can afford it, you pay for it, and if you can't, we pay,'” Harkin said. “It benefits us all, so we all pay.”

However, he conceded that preschool education is not part of the state or federal governments' elementary education programs and is not funded in the same way as K-12 education.

Nearly 22,000 4-year-olds in 326 Iowa school districts are served by the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. Culver wants to expand that to all school districts and all 4-year-olds.

Culver also accused Branstad of wanting to limit eligibility for Hawk-I, the children's health insurance program, which is now extended to families with income 300 percent and below the poverty level. In general terms, he said, a family of four with an income of $55,000 to $60,000 would be eligible for Hawk-I. Branstad would cut that to 175 percent of the poverty level, Culver said.

Albrecht said Culver was flat out wrong.

“Gov. Branstad will not reduce poverty rates, as this would put us in jeopardy of losing federal health care funds,” he said.