T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Sen. Jeff Edler (R-State Center) and Rep. Sue Cahill (D-Marshalltown) talked to the Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education about legislative priorities for the upcoming session. They gave a presentation and answered questions during the regular Monday meeting.

Legislative priorities were discussed with Sen. Jeff Edler (R-State Center) and Rep. Sue Cahill (D-Marshalltown) during the regular Monday meeting of the Marshalltown Community School Board.

Superintendent Theron Schutte said the district’s legislative priorities have not changed much during the last few years. They are:

• Student achievement;

• Supplemental state aid;

• Teacher recruitment and licensure and;

• Mental health.

As chair of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee and vice chair of the HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Edler said he has spent a lot of time on some of the priorities, particularly mental health.

“Mental health, I could go all night on that issue,” he said.

Edler said during his time on the HHS Committee, there has been a push to address children’s mental health.

“The suicide rate has been up significantly since COVID,” he said. “We’ve been looking at that, trying to find some ways we can help mitigate that, really bring back the respect of life so kids understand what it means. It’s not just something you throw away on a whim.”

Cahill said the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) is fortunate to have relationships with mental health providers, such as Center Associates, who can come to the schools and work with students directly.

“I was impressed Marshalltown already had that in place, and it is a positive sign we’re working in the right direction,” she said.

Board member Sean Heitmann said he understood the problem of mental health services is the lack of providers, particularly in rural districts.

“There just aren’t any,” he said. “We have some of those problems, too. We have Center Associates and other folks who come into our schools, but they have issues with just finding people to provide those services. So what’s the solution for that?”

Edler said a plan began two years ago to raise provider rates to a more livable level. The rates of Medicaid, he said, have been low for a long time. The committee initiated rate studies to see where neighboring states are at and how Iowa could compete.

“We’ve kind of taken a targeted approach of the need,” Edler said. “Where we have the greatest need, we’ve been putting the most money in to initially. Obviously, we’ve got to have providers. They say they’re not making enough, so we’re trying to raise that up to draw providers in. It’s going to be a slow process.”

Cahill is a member of the Education Committee and a former educator. Speaking to supplemental state aid and student achievement, she said as a former MCSD teacher, she knows student achievement has always been at the top of the priority list.

“I was at a forum a couple weeks ago and someone said ‘When is enough money going to be enough to give to the schools?'” Cahill said. “I looked at her and said ‘When every student can succeed, when we have met the needs of every student. That is the goal and I felt that here in our district. All students need – all, not just some.”

As far as teacher recruitment and licensing, she appreciates that districts are looking into alternative licensing for teachers but has some concerns. Cahill said anyone with an alternative license should still have student teaching experience in the classroom before they are given the opportunity to be alone in the classroom with students.

She said the legislature has tried to provide opportunities for students in high-need areas, such as student loan relief. The purpose is to encourage students to pursue a career in education.

Schutte said that with some Baby Boomers approaching retirement age, there are significantly fewer people choosing education as a career for a multitude of reasons. He is concerned that funding used for teacher stipends will be all used by June 30, 2024.

“We’re going to be relatively limited on what kind of things we can do,” Schutte said.

As it relates to hiring and retaining, he said the district will have to look at it equitably. Hopefully, the state will be able to provide support.

“If it’s just left up to districts, it’s going to continue to be what it’s been – kind of dog-eat-dog,” Schutte said. “How do we entice or encourage existing teachers in other districts to come to our district instead of stay in the ones they are in?”

Since debt is a large deterrent from the pursuit of education as a career, he said he likes the idea of forgivable loans and other creative solutions.

“I don’t pretend I have the answers, but I know there’s a need for short-term support to help stop the bleeding, so to speak,” Schutte said.

Some other areas Cahill looks forward to in the Education Committee is the possible expansion of preschool to include children who have turned 5 years old and are not yet ready for kindergarten. Edler said full days of preschool for 4-year-old children have been discussed, which would affect funding. Currently, they have half days.

Another area of some concern for Cahill is the realignment of the Area Education Agencies, which provide support for districts.

“That is something our Education Committee will be watching very closely, making sure and hoping we are giving them the support they need and the financial structure they need to be able to provide,” she said.

In other business, the board:

Heard from Anson Elementary Principal Ronnie Manis and Instructional Coach Jenn Nelson about the improvements made to the Iowa Department of Education Iowa School Performance Profiles scores during the last two years. Two years ago, the school was considered a Priority and has increased to Acceptable. Manis said they accomplished that through ongoing professional development, continuous training and monthly walkthroughs.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.