Vote

Is anyone else getting a bit worn out with all the campaign commercials? I know I am! Luckily they'll all be over a week from now. Election Day is next Tuesday, November 8th. As annoying as these commercials all, hopefully they serve as a reminder to everyone how important it is that you vote. Exercising your right to vote is among the most fundamental rights you have as a citizen. This is the one opportunity to make your voice heard where it can actually make a difference. 

For many there is no ideal candidate. Perhaps you like the policy position of one candidate over another, only to find you disagree with them on a different. That is certainly the case for me. There is no one candidate or elected official that I agree with 100% of the time. It becomes a matter of choices and priorities. Can I live with this one disagreement if another issue is incredibly important? Most of the time I can, and I suspect many of you approach the ballot box with the same logic. 

While this isn't a general election where we will be voting for the president, I believe the mid-term election is equally important. In fact, it could probably be argued that it is more important. In Iowa, the mid-term election is where we elect the governor, members of Congress, and where our state legislative race are determined. While federally elected offices are important, I tend to believe the down-ballot races are much more likely to have an impact on your day to day life than the federal government. (But let's make sure we fill out the entire ballot.)

Each July the school board identifies legislative priorities that will become the focus of our discussion with elected members of the Iowa General Assembly. Now, I wouldn't say these issues are a 'litmus test' of sorts for the candidates that will receive my vote, but it is a safe bet that I am in favor of candidates that are strong supporters of our public school system in Iowa. What does that look like?

Adequate Supplemental State Aid or the percentage by which the state cost per pupil grows annually would be a good place to start. For more than a decade, the state cost per pupil has grown by less than 2%. When compared to inflationary growth of more than 8%, this isn't sustainable for the long term. Furthermore, calls for Educational Savings Accounts (or vouchers) will only make the low supplemental state aid problem worse. This is because of a direct shift in those funds from the public school to the non-public school. In a small rural school district that is barely making ends meet due to low per pupil growth, the loss of a few students (and the per pupil funding that goes along with them) would be incredibly destructive to the economies of scale under which a school district operates. It could mean the difference between maintaining the staffing necessary to operate the school with class sizes that are either too small to be economically feasible or too large to attract talent. 

These are just a couple of the priorities that have been outlined by our school board for the next legislative session. For more details about these priorities or to see others as outlined by the board, please check here. Make certain you are well educated about all the issues that are important to you and get out and vote!