Guest column: My family has watched the decline of Iowa public education
When my family and I moved to the great state of Iowa in 1967, we were in owe of the excellent public education that the state offered to K-12 students and the outstanding higher education of the three public universities, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.
My husband was recruited to join the UI College of Medicine from Canada, and we both had the privilege to work and serve the colleges of Dentistry and Medicine for a combined 75 years. For decades under the leadership of both Republican and Democratic state leadership, Iowa public education flourished and was the envy of many other states. Iowa universities and schools prided themselves on their ability to recruit and retain top-ranked teachers, faculty, staff, and students. In fact, for some of us who participated in interviewing top candidates, one attraction for them to come to Iowa was the excellent quality of public education that their children would ultimately enjoy. For decades Iowa public education ranked in the top tier.
Unfortunately, today and for some time, Iowa public education ranking and quality has dipped significantly from its heyday. There are several reasons behind that decline. One principle reason is the ongoing reduction by the Legislature of necessary funds supporting public education of both K-12 and higher education.
According to the Iowa Department of Education's annual Condition of Education Report, the review of Iowa's budget history shows the state spent more money on education than ever before. It actually rose from $1.9 billion in 2000 to nearly $3.2 billion in 2017-18. That is an increase of $1.3 billion.
More:Where does Iowa stand when it comes to education spending?
Another reason for the decline in the quality of public education was accelerated when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed charter school expansion into law and the siphoning of funds from public education. Charter school groups are now looking to form new schools in Iowa, bypassing local school boards while turning directly to the state government for approval and financial support.
The Iowa Legislature passed the state's charter school law in 2002. There is now no cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the state.
At the organizational level, critics believe that charter schools harm the wider public school district, due to funding and transparency concerns. “I'm opposed to publicly funded charter schools that are run privately,” said Joseph Roy, superintendent of schools at the school district in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2022. Currently, 45 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws.
National teacher unions do not support charters because they give parents the option to flee failing schools or look for a better fit for their children. One possible reason may be due to traditional public schools falling short , which is an embarrassment and could be due to unions' failures.
Charter schools have unique freedom and flexibility not found in public school districts, and their freedom from the red tape of public education often allows them to dedicate increased resources and energy and supporting students in excelling at academic standards. On the other hand, charter schools have a higher teacher turnover rate and lose significantly more teachers each year than public schools. In the United States, charter schools lose 24% of their teachers each year, which is double that of traditional public schools.
It may be of interest to readers and IA voters to raise their awareness on the pros and cons of charter schools.
Many Iowans, especially in rural communities, cannot afford the cost of sending their children to charter or private schools.
According to the Iowa Condition of Education report, minority students make up 26.8% of the public-school K-12 enrollment, and 40.7% of students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. The proportion of English learner students increased from the prior school year, to 6.6% from 6.3%.
There is a correlation between modest-income families' inability to send their children to costly private/charter schools and the quality of education offered in a public school system continuously being undermined by a Legislature favoring wealthy Iowa families. The so-called family right to choose that led to such ill-conceived laws is a cover-up for what such laws actually mean to average Iowa families, especially those who live in rural areas.
It is noteworthy that Iowa has been for some time experiencing brain drain of the most talented and gifted young Iowans who believe in the importance of good-quality, well-funded public education for their children.
It is a heartbreak for us who have lived in Iowa, educated ourselves, our children, and served our beloved state for more than half a century to watch the ongoing and unacceptable decline in public education quality across all levels.
Shams Ghoneim is a retiree from the University of Iowa and a member of the Press-Citizen's Editorial Board.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Opinion: My family has watched the decline of Iowa public education
