Education issues take spotlight at legislative forum

KALONA — Community members packed into a Kalona Chamber of Commerce conference room Friday afternoon for a legislative forum that brought bigger crowds and a longer Q&A period than expected, despite a new location and day of the week for the event.

State. Rep. Heather Hora and Sen. Dawn Driscoll — both Republicans representing Washington County — opened the meeting with reports on a variety of their activities in Des Moines, including deregulation for barbers, heightened penalties for child sex abuse and FFA-related excused school absences. The following 90 minutes of questions and comments, however, focused more on education than any other subject.

Private school money brings mixed reactions

Heather Hora — who is on the House Education Committee — said she stood by her vote for a recent bill that established “Education Savings Accounts,“ informally understood as vouchers, for students attending private schools.

“My very first vote in the Iowa House was for school choice,” Hora said. “I ran on that issue along with the support of the governor, and I was very proud to have that be my first vote.”

Comments from the public on the matter were mixed. Representatives from Hillcrest and St. James — two private Christian schools in the area — said they were pleased with the legislation. Rebecca Beachy Miller, director of enrollment at Hillcrest, thanked legislators for their votes in favor.

“Our school’s a very good example of what was trying to be accomplished,” she said. “I get to see all the financial aid, all the applications that come in, and it pains me that we have to make people pay, and they really can’t afford it.”

Others were more skeptical. Washington Superintendent Willie Stone said the money risked a trade off with funding for public education.

“Funding for the ESAs is $872 million added to the budget by FY 26, (and) with a flat tax rate that was introduced, that was passed, we have a shortfall of $1.2 billion by ‘26,” he said. “I want to make sure we’re talking about that before it happens … this isn’t us-versus-them, numbers aren’t political.”

Dawn Driscoll said a bill passed on Thursday would set School Supplemental Aid at 3%, the second-highest increase since 2011. She said it proved continued support for educators from the GOP-controlled legislature.

“I think that, that showed that we are passionate about public education, my kids are taught at a public school,” she said. “I would never want to be the reason we closed a public school, because I do believe schools are the heart and soul of all of our communities.”

Hora said ESAs would encourage competition that would ultimately benefit educational institutions.

“I am a big proponent of competition across all boards,” she said. “I think competition makes people better, so if we can bring a little competition into the school arena, including the Department of Education — I think they are the biggest part of the problem — competition makes people better.”

Stone pushed back on that rhetoric. He said there was an uneven playing field for public and private schools.

“Your son wrestled, if I remember right, that’s like tying an arm behind his back and saying, ‘OK, you’ve got to wrestle with the same group,” he said to Hora, whose children attend Washington schools. “When people say the word, ‘Competition,’ they’re pitting public schools against private schools, is what I read it as.”

Curriculum control proves controversial

Discussion on curriculum restrictions for schools got heated during the forum, with one member of the public storming out saying he “couldn’t stand to be in the same room as” another participant, who asked about sexual education reform.

The question-asker was Elisa Lyons, owner of Iowa Family Counseling in Kalona. The policy in question would bar schools from teaching content about gender identity to children until after eighth grade, a move that led critics to dub it the “Don’t say Trans” bill.

“I’m curious to hear your rationale and reasons why this is necessary, especially considering the school choice bill,” Lyons said. “If the parents or student have issue with that, they could choose to go to a private, religious school … I would encourage you to please vote no, for the health and safety of these already-marginalized kids.”

Others at the meeting said they worried state bans on curriculum and acceptable topics of discussion were a form of overreach into home rule.

“(It’s) one-size-fits all on these topics in schools, rather than leaving it to local districts,” Kalona resident and former Democratic State House Candidate Eileen Beran said. “I think that can have a chilling effect on what educators can even broach if a student brings up a concern.”

Both legislators said they’d approve of proposed restrictions on sexual education, however.

“I have a daughter, and I can’t even imagine back in second grade, anybody but myself talking about anything sexually-oriented,” Driscoll said. “Personally, I don’t agree with that.”

Hora said she agreed, and applied the same logic to curriculum beyond sex ed.

“There are districts … in this state, that are teaching inappropriate material,” she said. “What is being taught in schools right now is not what was taught in schools when I was there. I think the goal is to get back to reading, writing, arithmetic, social studies, government. Let’s focus on those, and keep it moving.”

Hora said she was also on board with a bill that would require schools to tell parents if their child asked to go by a non-given name at school, a move critics say would out closeted transgender students.

“That they can help a child transition without telling their parents is not a good policy to have, keeping secrets from parents is not a good policy to have,” she said. “I don’t care what school it is, whether it’s private, whether it’s public, parents have a right to sit at the table.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com