Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 2612 (also known as the AEA bill) into law on March 27th. The bill would divert 10 percent of special education funding from local education agencies to school districts and increase teacher salaries. Democrats argued the bill was out of step with the views of Iowans.Photo by Robin Opsahl | Iowa Capital Dispatch
Classrooms have become the subject of political controversy across the country. This session, Iowa lawmakers proposed bills that would fund programs to arm teachers and divert funding from the state's Area Education Agency (AEA).
Drake Graduate School of Education students have faced the effects of these bills as student teachers and will continue to navigate them as full-time teachers and administrators.
“In my short time as a student teacher, I can already hear current full-time teachers discussing these bills in the same way that I and my classmates do,” said Jagger Hyer, a senior majoring in secondary education. “I'm working on it,” he said in a text message. “Teachers are an extremely knowledgeable group of people who are often the first to voice their opinions and objections to changes and revisions to systems that have a significant impact on their workplaces and students.”
Ryan Wise, dean of the College of Education, said the school strives to prepare students for the political implications of education. School professors often host panels of current educators and professional education association officials to talk about their experiences with various pedagogies. Despite the recent passage of laws such as regulations; Content from kindergarten to elementary school that discusses “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” Wise said teachers' jobs have become more difficult and schools are having trouble retaining students.
“[A student] It doesn't happen very often that you say, 'Actually, I'm not going to go down this career path,'” Wise said.
Although it's difficult to compare the volume of education bills over the years, “I have a feeling” that education is becoming a bigger focus in the Iowa Legislature, said senior Richard Locke. Wise said that while education seems to be getting more attention each session of the Iowa Legislature, it's not the volume of these bills that's increasing, but the visibility and controversy. Ta.
But there are positives to the high-profile education bill, Wise said. “More Iowans are taking on issues related to education.”
In this session, AEA invoice It gained a reputation.The bill, signed last week, diverts 10% of Iowa's funding. AEA Gives special education funding to school districts and increases the state's per-pupil spending by 2.5%. Republicans widely praised the bill as allowing school districts to adapt services to meet student needs, but Democrats argued the bill was rushed through the Legislature and is beyond Iowans' understanding. did.Five days before the Senate passed the bill to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, House Republicans Added This is part of a bill that would increase the minimum salary for beginning teachers from $33,500 to $50,000.
“I wish they didn't put those two together,” Locke said.
“It's nice to have a higher starting salary,” Hyer added, but said the misappropriation of AEA funds was a “huge red flag.”
Another high-profile education invoice It requires all Iowa school districts with more than 8,000 students to employ at least one security guard or school resource officer, and also applies to school districts and private schools with fewer than 8,000 students. It is intended to encourage the following.Iowa law allows schools to arm staff – in two northwest Iowa school districts last fall I've tried They planned to arm some of their employees, but the effort was halted when insurance companies refused coverage. The bill would require insurance companies to cover school employee arming programs, removing existing barriers.
“I have never met or spoken to any of my colleagues who think we should be armed to make our schools safer,” Hyer said. “That's not why any of us decide to pursue a career in education.”
Locke said he doesn't know of any teachers who want to bring firearms onto school grounds, and he doesn't believe the bill would have any particular negative or positive consequences.
Both students said the political climate in Iowa will be a factor in whether they choose to stay and teach in the state.Teaching licenses vary by state, but most states require participate We have agreements in place that allow some out-of-state teaching licenses. Therefore, if Mr. Locke or Mr. Hyer decide to teach outside of Iowa, they may be required to take additional educational courses to obtain licensure in that particular state.
“I don't want to abandon our students here, because they deserve as good an education as students in states with more friendly laws and attitudes toward public education,” Hyer said. “I hope I can stay here, but it's not a long-term decision as it is now.” [political] What about the climate? ”
lock was quoted Senate File 482 -Which one? prohibit One example of a bill that would make teachers' jobs more stressful would be to ban students, staff, and others who do not match their birth gender from school bathrooms or locker rooms. For example, a teacher may stress about having their license revoked. This is a penalty threatened by the aforementioned restrictions on LGBTQ+ materials, as well as several other recently passed laws.
“It's not my decision, it's something that was forced on me,” Locke said. “I know I could lose my job even though I have the best interests of my students in mind. I feel it.”
Locke is seeking a position in the Des Moines area to stay close to home and maintain the relationships he has built here. Now a student teacher and soon to be a full-time teacher, he said he would like to see Iowa lawmakers take an educator's perspective.
“If we heard from 100 teachers of different genders, different races, different regions across Iowa, we would have a better understanding of what we need,” Locke said.
