I don’t think I could’ve been happier seeing recent news that Urbandale, South Tama, and Cedar Falls school districts passed Public School Strong resolutions. Cedar Rapids was a week before, and they joined Albia, Belmond-Klemme, Decorah, Bennett, and Keokuk who passed resolutions late last year.

It warms my heart to see communities across Iowa voice support for our kids and their schools. These resolutions call on the legislature to fund public education at a 5% annual increase in supplemental state aid and gradually phase out private school vouchers.

Our public schools have been severely underfunded for over a decade now. A meager 2% yearly increase has failed to keep up with inflation, making cuts to teachers, support staff, and programs the norm. If we want our schools to get back to the standards we had in the past, they need the proper resources to do so.

While our taxpayer money goes to private schools thanks to Gov. Reynolds’ voucher scheme, our once envied public schools’ struggle. Boone Community Schools just voted to cut its 100-year-old orchestra program, along with several teaching positions. Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Waterloo face million-dollar deficits. This happens while our state siphons $700+ million to private vouchers.

I spoke with a CCI member in Cedar Falls who said she appreciated her school board’s “support and everything they’re doing to push back against a school voucher program that has done nothing but further degrade our public schools and students. It is critical that the legislature fully fund Iowa’s public schools, whose coffers have been starved for years.”

Iowa leaders once prized our public schools, so much so it’s woven into the fabric of our state’s history. Public schools are the bedrock of our communities. When public schools are fully funded, they thrive and so do our children. Our kids deserve more than the current status quo. Our state’s legacy deserves better.

Perhaps a step in the right direction, there’s a bill in our state legislature to require private schools receiving voucher money to adhere to the same reporting, transparency, and accountability standards as public schools. Senate File 2008 was introduced by Sen. Charlie McClintock (R – Alburnett) and assigned to a subcommittee. Though, as of this writing, my Senator Amy Sinclair has yet to schedule a meeting for this bill to be discussed.

Despite the outcomes of this legislative session, I know Iowans across the state will push for fully funded public schools instead of making them a scapegoat that has failed Iowa’s next generation. Every student deserves a robust education that sets them up for success. Our children matter more than political agendas and wealthy special interests.

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Barb Kalbach is a fourth generation family farmer, retired registered nurse, and longtime member of Iowa CCI. She can be reached at barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.