It was a big local news week

...your Sunday Roundup

Jan 22, 2023

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Vouchers

Vouchers, vouchers, vouchers. The Iowa Legislature is on the verge of passing legislation that will have far-reaching consequences in every corner of the state. Six of our columnists weigh in on the hottest issue in the state. What will happen to Iowa’s existing public schools?

Today, our columnists introduce you to a Civil Rights leader in Waterloo, explosive beets (gotta read it), building community, a Chinook helicopter ride over Red Rock, transitioning a family farm, Iowa’s congressional delegation’s committee assignments, and a possible baseball game in Cuba. We have poetry, a couple of inspirational columns, and a surprise message by an NFL player. Toward the end of the roundup, find a serving of humor from Fern, Joe, and Richard.

Enjoy your Sunday with the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.

empty chairs in theater — Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

CHERYL TEVIS

We will start today’s roundup with Cheryl Tevis’s column from Pilot Mound. She offers her thoughts on the latest voucher bill based on her experience as a former school board member, a parent, and an educator:

I've been alarmed over the past 13 years to see deliberate efforts by the Iowa legislature to underfund public schools and withhold adequate resources. In her new 501(c)(4)-funded TV commercial, the Governor brags about how the state's public school funding has increased by almost one billion in the past ten years. Yet the annual percentage increases in Supplemental State Aid have averaged a miserly 2% -- well below the rising costs of inflation.

Unfinished Business

I'm staring at a 14" x 17" file box stashed away in an upstairs closet. It's all that's left from my 9 years of serving as a school board member in Boone County. I tossed the 3-ring school policy binders and other ISBA materials long ago. After 18 years, maybe it's time to let go of a half-dozen folders filled with new…

2 years ago · 22 likes · 12 comments · Cheryl Tevis

DAVE BUSIEK

Who is behind the barrage of ads???

Dave Busiek on Media

Priorities for Iowa – Paid for by Out-of-State Money?

The 30-second television ad where Governor Kim Reynolds advocates for her school voucher program is just one part of a multi-prong effort by the governor and Iowa Republicans to try to change the narrative around the effort to give hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to private schools…

2 years ago · 3 likes · 10 comments · Dave Busiek

LAURA BELIN

Our watchdog keeps on top of what’s going on in the legislature as best as anyone can.

Iowa politics with Laura Belin

A busy first week for Iowa lawmakers

Governor Kim Reynolds’ revised school voucher plan is the talk of the town, but other bills are starting to move at the state capitol. You can find lots of information on the Iowa legislature’s website. At Bleeding Heartland, I compiled who’s who in the Iowa House…

2 years ago · Laura Belin

ART CULLEN

Art Cullen’s Notebook

I think I know what My Old Man would have said

The Iowa Senate moved swiftly in its first week to advance a bill granting vouchers to families of private school students worth nearly $8,000 per head. It leaves me queasy for the speed and commitment of the Republican legislature and governor, and sets off alarm among others…

2 years ago · 17 likes · 2 comments · Art Cullen

JULIE GAMMACK

Julie holds regular Zoom sessions on most Mondays for those who subscribe to her column. Previously, she limited participation to those who were paid as a way to thank them for supporting scholarships to the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. Last Monday, she had Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnists Laura Belin and Ed Tibbets on the call to talk about the Legislature. Listen to the conversation: