As usually happens at this point in the session, a number of major issues have slowed down the legislative process. The good news is that discussions are well underway on these issues. Among the issues still to be resolved are funding for our K-12 schools and expansion of early childhood education.

In February, the Iowa House passed a 4% increase in funding for our community schools. Although many of us felt that a 6% increase was warranted to enable schools to keep up with inflation and rising health and utility costs, we did support the 4% as a starting point. However, no action has occurred since then. This issue must be resolved before we adjourn.

Another major dilemma is the question of how to fund Iowa’s student achievement and teacher quality initiative. When passed in 2001, the goal of this program was to improve the education our children receive by demanding higher standards and accountability from teachers. In exchange, we promised to raise teacher salaries to the national average, so that we could keep our best and brightest teachers in Iowa and in the classroom.

Since 2001, teachers have held up their side of the bargain. Just this year, the federal government ranked Iowa third best in the nation of schools making adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act. On virtually every measure of academic achievement, Iowa ranks in the top ten, if not in the top five in the nation. Teachers deserve an A+ for their efforts. However, since 2001 Iowa teacher salaries have fallen from 36th in the nation to 41st. Despite attempts on my part and those of some of my colleagues, the majority of Legislators have failed to keep our part of the bargain.

A group of business leaders this year recommended massive new funding for teacher salaries, so that we do not continue to lose good teachers to any one of the 40 states that pay more. This year, the majority party in the House proposed a meager increase in funding of $2.5 million. We can not adjourn until this figure approaches the $30 to $50 million needed over the next three years to substantially raise salaries and make us more competitive.

We do not need more hoops for teachers to jump through or more paperwork for them to do. The standards and accountability measures are there. Now, we just need to insure that good teachers remain in our classrooms. Good teachers make a tremendous difference in the quality of the education our children receive.

An equally important issue still pending is early childhood care, health and education. Since 1998, when I co-authored the Community Empowerment bill, I have continued to work to improve the quality of life for the birth to age five population in our state. As the Ranking Member of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Sub-committee, I made sure more of Iowa’s children will receive health care through the HAWK-I program. And, I pushed to invest more resources in access and quality of child care for Iowa’s youngest citizens. Now, we need to make a commitment to expand pre-school opportunities for our three and four year old children.

The results of this kind of investment are long lasting. High quality early education programs have been shown to reduce future costs associated with special education, remedial education, school drop out rates, teen pregnancies, juvenile crime, welfare and adult incarceration. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that investments in high quality early education brought a higher rate of financial return on investment than virtually any other type of economic development activity. This makes early childhood a critical economic development and work-force development issue for the state of Iowa.

While we wait for these important issues to be resolved, we continue to take action on a number of other bills. Last week, I worked with five other House members to improve services to people with disabilities. We were able to pass HF 2780 without opposition. The bill increases reimbursement for Community Mental Health Centers, psychiatrists, and inpatient mental health services at private hospitals effective October 1, 2006. To address the near crisis situation in Linn and Johnson County, we will increase state funding to the disability services programs by $6.5 million statewide, beginning July 1, 2006. This is still short of the $12.5 million needed to adequately meet the needs of Iowa’s 99 counties, but it is a start.

We will continue our efforts to meet the health and educational needs of all Iowans. At least for the next couple of weeks, you can write me at the State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319; call me at 515/281-7328 or e-mail me at ro.foege@legis.state.ia.us.

Ro

Another Internet Presence Provided by Kelly Webworks.