Iowa is Sinking; Let’s Raise It Up
Schools in Need
After asking multiple school districts in Boone County about their needs, the BCD went into action and $925, which was matched for a total of $1850 to be distributed to the major public school districts in the county. In addition, supplies were collected and distributed. We were told again and again how budget cuts had left them with an impossible task of meeting student needs. Some of the biggest concerns: kids coming to school hungry because there was not sufficient food at home, girls not having menstrual supplies; lack of dental hygiene products; and lack of school supplies. They asked for breakfast bars and menstrual pads!!
Funding for schools has not kept pace with inflation. While the total dollar amount for public schools sounds like a lot, it is not!! Each year schools have less and less to work with. (1) This year the school voucher bill passed, which will quickly divert even more funds away from public schools and likely not benefitting low income or students with special needs, who would still be unable to afford or possibly be accepted to a private school. (2)
What if we fully funded our public schools? What if we provided free breakfast and lunches for all students? What if we placed a higher income tax on the wealthy and reduced that of low- and middle-income Iowans, who now pay the lion’s share of the cost of running the state.
1 https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2022/02/16/iowa-republicans-continue-to-underfund-public-schools/
