Branstad promoting plan for reforming education system

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds began a tour promoting their plan for reforming Iowa?s educational system Thursday morning at Washington High School.

Branstad said in his opening remarks that Iowa?s students must be prepared to compete not just against those from other states, but also against students around the world. He said he recently went on a trade mission to China, South Korea and Japan to see the international competition first hand.

?Iowa has many good schools, but in today?s complex, global economy, we must be truly excellent in order to give our kids the skills they need to compete,? he said.

Reynolds said the governor?s plan for education would raise the standards for teacher candidates. Branstad said the current minimum pay for teachers is $28,000 a year, and he would like to raise it to $35,000. Reynolds said she would also like to focus on early childhood literacy. She said the literacy reforms the governor?s office has proposed are modeled after reforms in Florida.

Washington resident Kathleen Almelien, who teaches in the Columbus school district, said her school district has many students who speak English as a second language. She referred to Branstad?s plan to have a literacy exam for students at the end of third grade. She said she was worried the non-native English speakers would not be able to pass such a test.

?Data say it takes seven years to learn their new language,? Almelien said. ?We only have these kids four years. We will have third-graders in their teens.?

Branstad said Florida, which he said has a higher percentage of non-native English speakers than Iowa, is now ahead of Iowa in fourth-grading reading proficiency thanks to the reforms Florida enacted in 2002.

?We need to provide intensive assistance to students who are not achieving the level that they should,? he said. ?This [plan] will provide summer school assistance as well.?

Linda Fandel, Branstad?s special assistant for education, told the audience if a child is held back in third grade, that child is only held back one year.

Branstad spoke about a proposal to require every high school student to take the ACT exam and for the state to pay for the exam. Washington resident Tom English, who identified himself as a former teacher, asked Branstad what would be considered a ?passing grade? on the ACT. Branstad said there is no passing or failing grade on the ACT.

?The ACT test, I?m sure you?re aware, is looked at primarily by colleges to see if the student is prepared,? Branstad said. ?Right now, about 60 percent of students already take the test. We think there are some students who don?t realize they have the ability to go to college.?

Patty Koller, who teaches at the Washington Junior High School, said the state will need to raise revenue if it is to go through with Branstad?s proposed reforms. She asked him if he plans to raise taxes on casinos to collect more revenue.

?We tried that last year, and it didn?t go anywhere,? Branstad said.

Jeremy Kunz of Mount Vernon referred to Branstad?s proposal to increase the length of time new teachers are ?at will? employees. Kunz said the current law is that new teachers are ?at will? for two years, but under Branstad?s proposal they would be ?at will? for five years. Kunz said he opposed this change because it would prevent young teachers from lobbying on behalf of students for fear of termination.

?My experience has been that when there is an issue in the classroom, it silences them [the teachers] from advocating for the children because they don?t want to upset the administration or board,? Kunz said. ?Now the teachers have to think, ?If I upset the apple cart, am I going to lose my job???

Branstad said he knew where Kunz was coming from. He said his daughter teaches third grade, and when she disciplines students, she has to worry about whether the principal will back her up.

?When I was a kid and you got in trouble at school, you were in bigger trouble at home,? Branstad said. ?Today, it?s not always that way. Oftentimes, the kid gets in trouble at school and the parents are running to the principal or superintendent to complain about the teacher.?

Fandel said the proposal is designed to weed out bad teachers who are not cut out for the profession. Kunz said it takes schools less than a year to cut a teacher who is not doing his or her job.

?It is a fallacy that we cannot terminate a bad teacher,? Kunz said. ?A lot of teachers don?t reach the level of termination because they agree to retire.?