Education a priority at legislative coffee

Those attending Saturday’s legislative coffee via Zoom Saturday had a chance to hear from Senator Tom Shipley and Representative Tom Moore on a variety of topics addressed in Iowa’s state House and Senate this session.

Questions submitted included concerns over federal funding for small businesses — possibly including using “rainy day” funds to help the smallest businesses survive; what legislators were planning; their priorities for infrastructure and jobs; and what was going to happen with redistricting — considering census figures are not expected to arrive until September. However, education was a large part of the conversation.

Shipley said the use of “educational savings accounts” that would be created by a bill that recently passed the Senate is misunderstood and it’s something he voted against fearing it would create a precedent for school vouchers.

“There’s not one child in my senate district that would have qualified for a scholarship. Not one,” said Shipley. “I did not support it because it’s a slippery slope.”

Shipley said students already have the ability to open enroll in neighboring districts.

Moore said the impact of school-choice is that there are 34 schools in Iowa that are “for lack of a better term, ... failing schools,” said Moore.

Moore explained that those schools fall in the bottom 5% of schools and the student body are made up predominately of low income students and English language learners. He said, even if these students changed schools, the issue will persist.

“If it isn’t these 34, there are going to be 34 other schools that fall into that bottom 5% just because they are the last 5%. Doesn’t matter what their score is, they are just the bottom 5%,” said Moore.

After the Iowa House and Senate agreed to a 2.4% increase in Supplemental State Aid for K-12 schools, Senator Shipley and Representative Moore said coming up with a number was difficult.

“We put together numbers based on what we believe we can deliver,” Shipley said.

“Over the last four years, what we have promised, we have kept,” Moore said. “It wasn’t so many years ago that schools were promised (a certain amount) and part way through the school year were told they would have to cut back.”

Moore said he asked for 3.9%, but said the House decided on 2.4% because Iowa schools have lost nearly 6,000 students this year, due to COVID related issues.

“... Next year when those or part of those come back to school, now we have to make up (that cost) on top of everything else,” Moore said.

Shipley said, “That’s our goal, to promise and deliver on that promise.”

The legislators were also asked to comment briefly on Bottle Bills. Moore said he’s going to be a “huge advocate” for increasing what the state pays for redemption and making sure redemption centers are receiving enough funding to make them viable.

Shipley said he thought there were “about as many Bottle Bills as there were legislators,” this year.

“I know we have to have something,” he said, “And redemption centers are front and center to make sure (they get the funding they need).”

The next legislative coffees with Moore and Shipley are slated for 9 to 10:30 a.m. March 13 and April 10. To submit a question, email chamber@crestoniowachamber.com