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As an educator who's spent years building a foundation for children, I believe that school choice is a foundational freedom that Iowans should have. Parents should be able to have more say over where their kids go to school and more say over where their tax dollars are spent.
The Democrats like to frame this issue as though parental tax dollars belong to the Government-that any attempt by parents to take their kids to a better school is somehow robbing public schools. That's false.
Our goal as Iowans should always be to promote excellence in education, whether that's at a public school or a private school-It just so happens that we can do both.
The discussion around ESAs in Iowa needs to end the politics and prioritize the children. This is a distraction from the real issue, which is the decline of Iowa’s public education system that began before ESAs even existed. Attributing the failings of public education to ESAs is an attempt to divert attention from decades of decline.
As governor, I will be the number one advocate for Iowa's public school kids. In the 90s, Iowa schools were number one in the nation, and now they are 27th overall. Every child in this state deserves access to a world-class education, and my goal is simple: make Iowa's public schools so strong that they can compete with any school, anywhere in the country. For too long, schools have been forced to teach to a test instead of teaching students to succeed. I will work to reduce excessive standardized testing, restore local control, and refocus education on mastery of reading, writing, math, science, and the skills students need to thrive.
A classroom should not be a battleground for ideology. It should be a place for truth, discipline, wonder, and learning. I believe teachers should teach our children how to think, not what to think, and that political doctrine has no place in Iowa classrooms.
Our public schools need more innovation. In the schools I’ve helped start, we start apprenticeships at age 11 or 12, where you’re out in the real world getting experience. There is more to education than just taking tests, and there's no study guide for an apprenticeship.
As public officials, we should be doing everything possible to improve education in public schools, while still providing the freedom for parents to decide where their tax dollars are going. Democrats arguing against school choice are completely ignoring the fact that our public education will still thrive, if leaders are actively advocating for it. As governor, I'll do everything in my power to improve public education, and to make sure that kids in Iowa are receiving the best care that we can offer. Once again, we must cut out the politics and prioritize the children.
Zach Lahn is the Republican nominee for governor of Iowa.