Iowa Senate District 19 Candidates Q&As - Tyler Stewart

Oct. 25—Name: Tyler Stewart

City: Newton

Office sought: Senate District 19

Occupation: Public school teacher

Education: B.A. from Central College

Elected offices held: None

1. Introduce/Reintroduce yourself to Jasper County voters and explain why you want to be the representative of Iowa Senate District 19.

I am Tyler Stewart and I am a lifelong Iowan seeing your vote for State Senate District 19. My life has been shaped by public education in Iowa and I have devoted my life to ensuring all students that I see on a daily basis have the same opportunities I once did. I want to spend my time in the State Senate ensuring public education funding stays with public schools. I want to help bring Iowa's great public schools back to the gold standard they once were. While in the State Senate I plan to protect the rights of women to choose while also ensuring that big corporations no longer take large amounts of tax incentives only to devastate their community by leaving when their owners aren't making enough money.

2. Public education funding, educational savings accounts/vouchers and school choice were at the center of political discourse this pasty year. What is your overall vision for public education in Iowa? What worries you?

I am worried about the future of our public schools. Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. Republicans have attacked the profession and the integrity of our teachers over the last couple years. Threatening to jail teachers, and threatening to install cameras in classrooms. Now they want to take away funding in order to pay for private institutions with no other justification other than saying our public schools are teaching nefarious things in the classroom. My vision would include at least a 4% increase in funding for our public schools while also looking to reinstitute a school loan forgiveness program for teachers who come to Iowa. This will help lure the best teachers to the state and improve the overall quality of education in Iowa. I plan to treat our teaching professionals with respect and not meet them with contempt.

3. Inflation is high. Iowans are feeling the effects of increased cost of living expenses in addition to supply chain issues and rising energy prices. How would you address this issue? Is cutting taxes enough to relieve this pressure?

The State of Iowa has a near $2 billion surplus and some of that money could be given back to the taxpayers to help them through this period of inflation. Other states have done similar things and they have been proven to work. We can sit around and blame President Biden, but the fact of the matter is Republicans have voted against every piece of legislation proposed in Congress that was aimed at easing inflation. Big energy corporations have been making record profits all at the expense of the average Iowan. We are recovering from a global pandemic while also experiencing a global conflict unfolding in Europe. If this was Biden's fault then why are we seeing the rest of the world experience similar inflation?

4. Abortion has been debated more frequently in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this past summer. What are your views on abortion? What is the state's role when it comes to abortion?

It is the job of our State Government to protect the rights of all its citizens. We all need to understand that every pregnancy is different and women experience different complications. Sometimes women receive some of the most devastating news after expecting to carry a child to term and the decision they have to make moving forward will not be made any easier with the government telling them what to do. If we want to eliminate abortions in Iowa then lets improve the economy so women feel financially capable of raising a child. Lets make birth control more accessible while teaching our citizens safe sex practices. The experiment on teaching abstinence has failed and we need to come to terms with that. Banning abortions will not get rid of abortions.

5. Water quality in Iowa continues to make no real improvements. More than half of the state's lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams have impairments. What should the state do to protect its waters?

Safer agricultural practices need to start happening in Iowa and we need to make sure our farmers have the means necessary to make this happen. We cannot expect our farmers to change their practices especially if it means it comes at a large cost to them. We also need to make our urban citizens aware of how they can help improve water quality by managing lawn fertilizers and how to keep contaminants out of the storm drains. Public Service Announcements and better labeling of fertilizing products can help to make this situation better in Iowa. At the end of the day we need to trust science and our experts, but also communicate to our citizens how to make a change in an effective way.

6. In September, the governor announced Iowa has an almost $2 billion budget surplus from fiscal year 2022. This can be used to pay debt, reduce taxes or start or fund existing programs? Do you think the surplus should be used in any particular way?

There are a lot of things we can do with that $2 billion dollar surplus. One thing we need to do is make sure Iowa's public schools are brought up to date with funding to make sure the needs of our students, the next generation, are being met. Legislators need to consider the public at large when making this decision and do everything we can to not give out any welfare to big corporations. Everyday Iowans need help right now. That could be in the form of a stimulus check or reduced taxes. Another option could be expanding early access childcare across the state as daycare is a massive cost and this could lure in younger families to the state.