Capitol Notebook: Reynolds orders flags lowered for Minneapolis church shooting victims, following Trump order

Flags in Iowa should be lowered to half-staff immediately to honor the victims of a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday.

Two children were killed and 17 people were injured, 14 of whom were children between the ages of 6 and 15, the Associated Press reported.

Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff immediately until sunset Sunday, according to the governor’s office.

“What occurred this morning at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis is unspeakably senseless violence against innocent and defenseless children,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Such evil acts have no place in our great nation. Kevin and I are both praying for the students, school staff, and law enforcement officers involved. Our thoughts are with the families whose loved ones were taken far too soon.”

Reynolds’ order aligns with President Donald Trump’s proclamation to lower the U.S. flag for the same amount of time.

Iowa flags will be flown half-staff at the Iowa Capitol and across the Capitol complex, and on all public buildings and grounds throughout the state. The governor’s office encourages individuals, businesses, schools, and other government entities to do the same.

Iowa invests $8 million in teacher grant program

The Iowa Department of Education announced a new round of grant funding designed to reward teachers who help students achieve more than a year’s worth of academic growth.

The department announced Monday that the second round of the Teachers Accelerating Learning grant will increase the share of eligible teachers to 25 percent statewide, up from 10 percent in the pilot round. Supplemental pay amounts also are being expanded, with awards of up to $15,000 per teacher compared to $2,500 previously.

“All Iowa public school districts that commit to developing and implementing a fair, transparent system for identifying teachers who accelerate student learning are eligible to apply,” the department said in its release.

Districts must use the Education Visualization and Analytics Solution growth tool for grades 4-8 and participate in state training sessions that focus on using data to support teachers and students. Local districts can also include their own objective measures of teacher effectiveness.

Applications open Aug. 26 on IowaGrants.gov and are due by Sept. 19.

Four districts — IKM-Manning, Tri-Center, Van Meter and Okoboji — received about $180,000 each in the first round of funding. That money is supporting supplemental pay for educators during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

The program is funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

More information is available on the Department of Education’s website.

Wishman reelected Iowa Federation of Labor president

Charlie Wishman has been reelected to a second term as president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Wishman, a member of Machinists Local 254, won re-election Aug. 22. He will serve another four years. Wishman first took office as president in 2020 after serving eight years as secretary-treasurer.

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Peter Hird, a member of IBEW Local 704, was unanimously reelected secretary-treasurer. He also will serve a four-year term.

The Iowa Federation of Labor also elected a slate of vice presidents and auditors representing unions across the state, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers, American Postal Workers Union, and others.

The organization represents more than 40,000 union members statewide and serves as the state’s AFL-CIO affiliate.

The new leadership team will guide the federation’s advocacy on workplace issues, collective bargaining rights, and state and federal labor policy over the next four years.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau