A teacher has filed a lawsuit accusing the Ottumwa school district of encouraging students鈥� racist behavior by failing to impose sufficient discipline for such conduct.

Robert Bender is suing the Ottumwa Community School District in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, and is seeking unspecified damages related to alleged harassment, discrimination, retaliation and violations of the federal Civil Rights Act. Also named as defendants are Jerry Miller, a school principal, and Dana Warnecke, an assistant school principal.

Bender, who is Black, began working for the district in July 2021 as a behavior instructor teacher and the high school鈥檚 junior varsity boys鈥� basketball coach. Since then, he has also held the position of junior high school girls鈥� track coach and he currently works for the district as a high school special education teacher.

In his lawsuit, Bender alleges that from the time he first began working for the district in 2021, he has been the target of racially motivated abuse and harassment by students. In early September 2021, he alleges, a student referred to him using the n-word. While several of co-workers witnessed the incident, they did not challenge the student鈥檚 behavior, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, two more incidents of a similar nature occurred in the weeks that followed, and after the matter was reported to Miller and Warnecke, the student who was involved was suspended for either a half day or a full day.

Over the next three months, the lawsuit claims, Bender was routinely referred to by the same racial epithet uttered by different students in front of other district employees, administrators and students.

During that time, Bender also received sticky notes with racist messages written on them, according to the lawsuit. Bender reported the conduct to Miller and Warnecke. The matter was referred to the district鈥檚 executive director of human resources, who assured Bender such behavior would not be tolerated, according to the lawsuit.

鈥淯nfortunately, the lack of discipline emboldened the students, and they continued to refer to Mr. Bender as a 鈥渘鈥斺�撯�� in front of staff and administration,鈥� the lawsuit alleges. 鈥淥ne student in particular has repeatedly used the racist term in reference to Mr. Bender. The student was eventually sent to 鈥榯imeout鈥� for his use of the term, but Mr. Bender was the adult in charge of supervising the student. Throughout the duration of the timeout, the student continued to use the term directed toward Mr. Bender.鈥�

In March 2022, Miller allegedly reassigned Bender from a 鈥渂ehavioral teacher鈥� to an 鈥渋nclusion teacher鈥� for the 2022-23 school year. The reassignment was reportedly because Bender had allowed a student to walk out of his class 鈥� a common occurrence in the district, the lawsuit claims.

That same month, a student at a bus stop allegedly directed the n-word at Bender in front of staff and parents and, a few weeks later, used the word again in front of Miller. The student was not removed from class and, to Bender鈥檚 knowledge, was not disciplined, the lawsuit states.

At around the same time, other students were being suspended for three days 鈥� one for slamming a door in the face of an assistant principal and one for calling a teacher 鈥渇at man.鈥� According to the lawsuit, Miller later told Bender that while he took no offense to the n-word, he understood why Bender would.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants enabled students to harass and humiliate Bender through the students鈥� 鈥渟evere and pervasive鈥� daily use of racial slurs and racially charged language.

The district has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach the district鈥檚 communications specialist for comment on the lawsuit.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

I walked into our Pella studio on a recent morning, and Dave, a friend and co-worker had a question for me before I even had a chance to put my computer bag down.

鈥淲hat do you think about the gun legislation they鈥檙e considering at the Statehouse?鈥� he said, or something close to that.

Like many of you probably are, I鈥檓 numbed by all of the mass shootings in America and angry that NRA-influenced Republicans haven鈥檛 allowed us to move forward on gun control measures that most Americans want. I know that Republican legislators in every state are working hard to increase Americans鈥� access to guns in more places, including schools. There have been 145 mass shootings just this year as of April 11. Gun deaths have recently exceeded violent car crashes as the  of American children from ages 1-18.

I don鈥檛 remember exactly what I said to Dave, but I probably mumbled that I don鈥檛 know much about it; why?

鈥淩epublicans want guns at schools, and they also want hunter training in schools. I don鈥檛 have guns in my home, and my kids don鈥檛 have guns in their homes, yet they want to expose my grandkids to gun culture when neither I, my wife or my kids, and their spouses want that. We don鈥檛 want anything to do with it,鈥� he said.

Or something like that. And I鈥檓 not a good enough writer to be able to describe how frustrated Dave is.

What he said and what I was thinking and said at the time are a blur, but here is some of it: Republicans are hammering our public schools, underfunding them to make sure they underperform, banning books, demanding important curriculum be cut, not letting history they don鈥檛 like being taught, making teachers do more with less, demoralizing them, driving them from the profession which will make our schools worse, making teachers out gay and trans kids even if it puts them in harm鈥檚 way, and more.

And all of this while giving public money to fund private schools with no fiscal accountability for the ultimate purpose of taking public money meant to further the public good and putting it into private hands and schools that reinforce Republican ideology. Republicans say it鈥檚 about school choice. It鈥檚 not. It鈥檚 about ideology and power. I wrote about that .

The legislation Dave was referring to is . Part of that legislation allows guns on school grounds. Like Dave and the Democrats in the Legislature, I don鈥檛 believe guns should be allowed on school grounds.

My concern here, however, is the section that encourages teaching 鈥渇irearm safety.鈥� This is what Dave and I talked most about 鈥� the introduction of kids to the gun subculture even though their parents want no part of. Let me say here I understand the role guns play in rural America. I wrote about it five years ago in the.

While the title of the relevant section of the bill is 鈥淔irearm Safety Instruction Programs in Schools,鈥� this isn鈥檛 what it鈥檚 really about. What it鈥檚 really about is the indoctrination of students into that subculture. And who is going to do that indoctrination? The NRA.

Yes, the NRA. The organization that has for generations been actively undermining all efforts to bring into law common sense gun regulations that the American people want. That NRA. The NRA that lobbies against gun registration, red flag laws, and assault weapons bans. The NRA that lobbies against needed regulations that would help prevent mass shootings in schools is now going to be in Iowa schools indoctrinating our children into their worldview should this legislation pass. The very organization that serves as a catalyst for school shootings will be in our schools from kindergarten through grade 12 before some of our kids can even read.

Seem hard to believe? The relevant section is below (I don鈥檛 see a similar section in the companion bill in the Senate, ).

It appears that these programs are to be 鈥渙ffered or made available鈥� and that schools are 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� to implement the model in kindergarten through grade 6 based on the NRA鈥檚 Eddie Eagle programming. This is insidious. Before some kids can even read, gradually and subtly, the NRA is using cartoons to teach kids an important lesson 鈥� to be safe around guns. But at the same time, they are normalizing the NRA and its policies that are an ever-present and increasing danger to public health, especially to our children. And they are doing it in the most effective way possible with this age group. With cartoons.

Look at the NRA鈥檚  Aren鈥檛 they a fun group? Is there a character your elementary school-aged kids or grandkids might identify with? They provide a lesson in a little over eight minutes. 鈥淪TOP! Don鈥檛 touch. Run away. Tell a grown-up!鈥� (I鈥檓 going to resist going down the rabbit hole of deconstructing this cartoon, although I am tempted.)

I believe kids should learn about gun safety, but it could be part of a lesson in health classes, for example. Or in a once-a-year classroom lesson or assembly (some people will say here that only the NRA offers such lessons; that鈥檚 a lame excuse).

But this legislation doesn鈥檛 call for a lesson. It calls for programs based on those offered by the NRA. Courses. Instructors. How long will these programs or courses be? What will they cost? It says the program will be developed and distributed. By who? I suspect some private company is creating that curriculum now, and it will be sold to the schools or the state, and even more taxpayer money that should have gone into our schools will be siphoned into private hands.

It sounds like the programs can also be developed locally, and the instructor doesn鈥檛 have to be a certified teacher. When taking these courses, what won鈥檛 our children be learning that they should learn instead? And do we need classes every year? Of course not, but that will deepen the indoctrination.

Maybe the NRA will offer the courses for free! Why not? After the indoctrination, these little tikes will be gun owners and NRA members in a few years. And maybe even have MAGA tattooed on their foreheads! Or Trump on a cross! Or wearing an AR-15 pin on their clothing like certain Republican members of Congress!

The bill says schools should offer hunter education courses in grades 7 through 12. That proves it isn鈥檛 about gun safety. It鈥檚 about indoctrination. You can teach gun safety in a lesson. A hunter education course is a different thing. I have nothing against hunting. It鈥檚 part of rural life.

The tragic irony is that beginning in kindergarten, this legislation will normalize the NRA and its harmful anti-gun-regulation stance in our schools, even as more and more school children are being killed in mass shootings.

And just like taking public money and putting it into private schools to promote Republican ideology, letting the NRA into our schools鈥� curriculum will do the same thing. Our kids will have been indoctrinated into gun culture, the NRA, and likely the Republican Party. This is part of their long game.

There is another irony here. The effort to bring the NRA into our schools is apparently . If so, Democrats are playing into Republican hands.

I suspect Dave and I will be talking about this part of it Monday morning.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

In the aftermath of in Nashville, Tennessee, former Arkansas governor and potential presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson called Tuesday for armed officers in every school.

Hutchinson, a Republican, made his comments during an event with Drake University students in Des Moines.

鈥淢y belief is that every school should have armed personnel,鈥� Hutchinson said. 鈥淚deally, it鈥檚 a school resource officer or a trained law enforcement officer, but in Arkansas we have allowed some of our rural schools to have training for the personnel there so that they can be able to respond in the event something happened.鈥�

Hutchinson made his remarks the day after an armed woman killed three adults and three students at a private school in Nashville before being killed by police.

Drake student and event attendee Ashley Johnson, speaking after the event, didn鈥檛 entirely agree.  鈥溾�� I do think that something needs to be done to prevent violence, specifically gun violence in schools. But I do think that there are other routes that may be more successful in accomplishing that,鈥� she said.

Hutchinson, in the middle of a three-day trip to Iowa, said Monday he will whether he will run for president.

He has served in both the executive and legislative branches at the federal level. He represented Arkansas鈥� 3rd district in the U.S. House from 1997-2001 before moving on to serve in the George W. Bush administration as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2001-2003 and undersecretary of Homeland Security for border and transportation security from 2003-2005.

Hutchinson鈥檚 varied political career was appealing to some of the Drake students who attended the event at the Drake Diner, organized by Drake College Republicans.

鈥淚 think his perspective on a lot of issues and knowing what you can and can鈥檛 get done and what works in a leadership position [is valuable to a potential Hutchinson presidential bid],鈥� Dylan Engelbrecht, a Drake student and chair of the Drake College Republicans, said. 鈥淭hrough those experiences, he has really good insight.鈥�

Both Engelbrecht and Johnson said they believe there is a division among Iowa Republicans between those who want a second Trump term and those who would prefer a more open field.

鈥淚 would say many College Republicans agree that we want to kind of wait and see who all gets into it,鈥� Engelbrecht said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really good to get their perspective because sometimes they鈥檙e not always the ones most covered but, you know, they鈥檙e the ones willing to sit down and meet with college students.鈥�

Johnson agreed that younger Republicans are not looking backward. 鈥淚 think the Republican Party has a lot of different perspectives on this, especially right now in a post-Trump era. There are some who want somebody more like Trump and definitely others who want somebody quite different,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think a lot of people, especially young Republicans, would like to see a shift in the age of governmental leadership.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

Iowa鈥檚 public universities should expand distance education offerings, including allowing students at one state university to take courses from another, Board of Regents staff members recommended Wednesday.

Regents Chief Academic Officer Rachel Boon presented the annual distance education report and representatives for the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University presented updates at the regents鈥� meeting.

The report recommendations included an initial focus on expanding graduate and professional offerings before undergraduate expansion and promoting current offerings.

鈥淭he board鈥檚 goal was (to) figure out how to do more distance education,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t seems to be a thing that鈥檚 serving students well.鈥�

The regents鈥� task force recommended the Statewide Extension, Continuing and Distance Education Council also update its structure to align with the current and future means of distance education. The council should review its charge and activities on an annual basis to establish clear goals and tasks, .

Another recommendation was to design a general education course sharing opportunity. According to the meeting documents, it would allow students at one university to take courses from the other two universities.

Boon said this will come from looking at course utilization data to see where this will be the most beneficial to students and universities alike.

鈥淐reating an inventory of joint programs where the institutions already, sort of, mutually support each other with certain programs,鈥� she said. 鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e digging in on where some of the barriers are on some of the course sharing opportunities and focusing in really on the bachelor鈥檚 of liberal studies, which is a degree all three universities have that is structured fairly similarly across all three.鈥�

The overall report

showed the number of programs has increased from 183 to 204 since the 2017-18 academic year.聽 Course sections went down in the 2021-22 academic year by more than 2,000 offerings from 2020-2021.

Nearly 1.1 million students enrolled in non-credit courses in 2021 and 2022, according to the report, nearly doubling the 2020-21 numbers.

All three universities had more students enrolled in distance education courses last year than before the pandemic.

鈥淭he 2020-21 academic year had a large increase in distance education due to pandemic response efforts, but in 2021-22 numbers reverted to the upward trend that began before the pandemic,鈥� the report reads.

Universities update programs

Iowa鈥檚 three public institutions have updated their online and distance education programs in recent years to improve students鈥� experiences.

ISU began , a completely online education opportunity, in January. It was built in response to the regents鈥� 2021-22 Distance Education Task Force and and ISU Online Learning Strategy Task Force in 2021.

Inaugural Director of Iowa State Online Susan Arendt said one of its goals is to grow ISU鈥檚 online market share while focusing program innovation and market development tailored to Iowa businesses and employees. Tailoring courses to regional workforce needs was one of the goals presented by Boon.

The UI currently has 11 graduate and seven undergraduate online programs. There are nearly 3,400 students enrolled in only online classes.

UI Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Tanya Uden-Holman said students take about three to five online courses during their time at the university.

The university conducted the Online Course Review Project and audited more than 1,000 course sections that were not moved online because of COVID. Course review will now take place every three years and colleges will prioritize course development and redesign, which is inline with Boon鈥檚 presentation.

鈥淚t still remains a smaller percentage of our course offerings,鈥� Uden-Holman said, responding to a question about these classes replacing traditional in-person learning. 鈥淲e do believe it鈥檚 very important to offer that flexibility, however we are obviously a residential campus and having that in-person experience is very important to our students.鈥�

Karen Cunningham, associate dean and director of online education at UNI, said the UNI, Des Moines Area Community College partnership expanded to offer all online programs to students in the partnership.

UNI also launched a new Management: Business Administration online program in 2022.

There are multiple new online undergraduate academic programs, including one for paraeducators and accounting. They were built in response to a lack of educators and accounting professionals in the state, Cunningham said. There are new online graduate programs for students looking to go into mental health counseling, education, and interdisciplinary studies.

Cunningham and ISU Associate Provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden agreed with Uden-Holman and said their online programs are not a replacement for in-person opportunities. Residential programs remain the core of the three institutions while online classes are offered to meet workplace and flexibility needs.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

After years of debate and a decisive election with school choice at center stage, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed her private school scholarship program into law Tuesday.

Students and staff of Iowa private schools gathered around the lectern in the Capitol rotunda as Reynolds and supporters celebrated passing the legislation, which less than 12 hours earlier. The governor thanked Republican lawmakers, 鈥渟chool choice鈥� advocates and parents for their work in getting the bill through the legislative process.

鈥淚 urged the General Assembly to think big and to aim high, to ignore the hysteria that always accompanies school change,鈥� Reynolds said. 鈥淚n passing the Students First Act that is what you did, and I cannot think of a more worthy cause to aim high and dream big for than the future of our children.鈥�

The Iowa House and Senate spent nearly 10 hours debating the legislation, which Reynolds named as her top priority for the 2023 legislative session. The law establishes an education savings account (ESA) program for K-12 students, giving students an account of $7,598 each year to use for private school tuition and associated costs.

Starting the 2023-2024 school year, all kindergarteners, Iowa public school students and private school students with a family income of 300% or below the federal poverty line will be eligible to receive funds from the program. The income eligibility expands to 400% of the federal poverty line in the second year and there is no income limit starting in the third year.

While Republicans celebrated the victory, Democrats and public school advocates continued to express disappointment in the legislation. Democratic Sen. Claire Celsi of West Des Moines shouted, 鈥淣obody wants vouchers!鈥� from the rotunda balcony. She was drowned out by a standing ovation for the governor, who said, 鈥淲e will never give up鈥� on school choice legislation.

Critics said the legislation would harm public schools, especially those in rural areas. Iowa State Education Association President Mike Beranek said by passing the governor鈥檚 bill, legislators were ignoring their constituents鈥� wishes. Almost three-fourths of Iowa public schools are counties with no option for private schools, he said, and this legislation prioritizes private school students over the 92% of Iowa students in public schools.

鈥淢ake no mistake, this is not a war between public schools and private schools,鈥� Beranek said in a statement. 鈥淚t is a conflict between how taxpayer money is spent on private schools without equal access and no accountability or taxpayer oversight. Elected officials have a responsibility to serve all the people of our great state. This legislation serves just a few, with all the people鈥檚 money.鈥�

But the governor said the bill helps Iowa鈥檚 public education system and teachers by allowing schools to put certain unspent categorical funds, such as dollars for talented and gifted programs, toward teacher salaries.

鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna continue to work with them and see if there鈥檚 other things that we can do to help so it鈥檚 not a one and done,鈥� Reynolds told reporters. 鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna continue to monitor it. Just make sure that we鈥檙e meeting the mark and doing what we intended.鈥�

Estimates from the governor鈥檚 office and Legislative Services Agency estimate the program will cost $106.9 million in the upcoming fiscal year, and will cost roughly $345 million per year once income restrictions are fully phased out. But Democrats questioned whether the state will see additional costs when working with a third-party vendor to administer the program.

The governor said a request for proposals (RFP) on the program contract will be posted Tuesday, which will contain details on potential associated costs. It will also address concerns for transparency, she said. Other states with private school scholarship programs, , have had instances of educational companies or parents using state funds fraudulently.

The state鈥檚 contract will put 鈥減arameters in place鈥� to give the state recourse if problems occur with Iowa鈥檚 program, she said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make sure that cybersecurity is taken into account,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to make sure that we do have transparency and accountability in place, so that we can monitor it to make sure that there isn鈥檛 any fraud. And that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e really being very purposeful about issuing the RFP.鈥�

The ESA program is not the end of the road for Republicans鈥� education reform goals this session. Reynolds also highlighted in her a renewed push for 鈥減arental rights鈥� in public schools, calling for increased transparency measures such making all class materials and student records accessible to parents.

House Republicans have also focused on curriculum and LGBTQ+ issues in Iowa public schools. Proposals include requiring school districts to get written consent from a child鈥檚 parent or guardian before providing any accommodations in using a transgender student鈥檚 preferred name or pronouns, as well as banning instruction or material on sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade.

Republicans brought up LGBTQ+ issues in public schools as a reason why parents demanded alternatives to Iowa鈥檚 public school system in the ESA program debates Monday. Sen. Jesse Green, R-Boone, said some Iowa public schools鈥� policies, such as letting transgender children use the restrooms and locker rooms which match their gender identity, prevent Iowans from having their children educated 鈥渨ithout violating their values.鈥�

鈥淚f we can鈥檛 trust some of our public schools on biology in the bathroom, what makes us believe that we can trust those same schools on biology in the classroom?鈥� Green said. 鈥溾�� Yet on something so fundamental is basic biology, (parents) currently have no choice in public schools.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

As Democrats argue Gov. Kim Reynolds鈥� private school scholarship program would take away funding from Iowa鈥檚 public schools, Republicans are pointing to the governor鈥檚 proposed budget as proof that support for Iowa鈥檚 K-12 system remains strong.

Reynolds is proposing a budget of nearly $8.5 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase over the current year of roughly $300 million. More than half of the state spending proposed is for education.

Over the next four years, the education savings account (ESA) program would cost $918 million, according to estimates by the governor鈥檚 office. Democrats and public school advocates say that is nearly $1 billion in state funds being diverted from public schools, but Republicans argue that it is new, unrelated spending.

In the same four year period, the state is estimated to spend $15.2 billion on public education, with expectations of increasing K-12 spending by roughly 2.5% each year. But Democrats said that Iowa has underfunded education for years, and that the money put toward the governor鈥檚 plan should go toward filling funding gaps in public schools.

Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist with the Urban Education Network and the Rural School Advocates of Iowa, told legislators Wednesday that Iowa鈥檚 education spending has lagged inflation for both per-pupil costs and the cost of 鈥渄oing the business of school鈥� in the past decade.

鈥淥ur major concern is a program like this, that phases in over four years with hundreds of millions of dollars of obligation on part of the state, that hits the balance sheet exactly when the historic tax cuts of last year reduce state revenues by 1.8 billion, means that our school districts are concerned there will never be increases in the state cost per-pupil adequate to provide the programs that our students in public schools need,鈥� Buckton said.

Grassley said no matter how much money the Legislature designates for state supplemental aid to public schools, Democrats will always say its not enough.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a consistent argument that we鈥檝e always faced,鈥� Grassley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e spending more money on public education now than we ever have in the history of this state. 鈥� Clearly we鈥檝e made it a priority as part of our budgets, I don鈥檛 see (ESAs) being one of those things that is a drain on that.鈥�

Other priorities for 2023

While her private school scholarship program is a central focus this year, Reynolds has also announced plans to restructure Iowa鈥檚 system of government agencies and departments as well as enacting policies she said will help rural health care systems, from funding obstetrics fellowships to tort reform.

Here are some takeaways in the governor鈥檚 proposed budget for fiscal 2024, which begins July 1, 2023:

Overall spending: Reynolds is recommending Iowa increase its net spending from an estimated $8.2 billion in 2023 to nearly $8.5 billion in FY 2024. That 3.3% growth is greater than the previous year鈥檚 estimated growth of less than 1%. The rise was higher than in previous years because of increased federal aid disbursements, but the state government will still leave nearly $2 billion unspent from Iowa鈥檚 general fund budget.

Property taxes: A notable omission from Reynolds鈥� Condition of the State address and proposed budget was changes to Iowa鈥檚 property tax code, which legislative Republicans have highlighted as their tax policy focus in 2023. Replacements for property tax revenue were not included in Reynolds鈥� budget proposal this year, but Grassley said tax policy changes are typically one of the areas that take the most time for the Legislature to work through.

鈥淚 hope we didn鈥檛 build a false expectation of tax policy that it鈥檚 done immediately in every session that we did last year,鈥� Grassley said. 鈥溾�� I think you鈥檙e gonna see us hopefully fund some bills sooner than later as well, that are going to begin that conversation around property tax.鈥�

Reynolds did say she hopes to improve the 鈥渁ffordability of child care through property tax parity鈥� for both commercial and in-home care providers, but did not mention other potential property tax reforms.

Education: More than half, 56.4%, of Reynolds鈥� proposed budget is appropriated to education.

Private school scholarships: The private school scholarship proposal Reynolds laid out as her top priority for this year鈥檚 session is built into her budget. She has allocated $106.9 million for the education savings accounts, or ESA, program, in its first year. The governor鈥檚 office calculated that amount using data on how many Iowa kindergarteners are enrolled in private schools and how many current private school students are under 300% of the federal poverty line. The governor鈥檚 office based its estimate on the assumption that about 1% of public school students in grades 1-12 are likely to transfer.

State aid:  The budget overall includes a 2.5% increase in funding for K-12 public schools. That includes an $82 million increase for the State Foundation School Aid and over $700,000 more for the transportation equity fund, but no other changes in PK-12 spending from the current fiscal year.

Higher education: The Iowa Board of Regents asked the Legislature to for the state鈥檚 three public universities, but Reynolds鈥� proposal would allocate less than half that amount, granting a $12.5 million increase. That鈥檚 more than the Regents received in previous years, but board members said they this year to both keep up with inflation and make up for underfunding in previous appropriations cycles.

Agency consolidation: The governor also said she plans to take on a major internal project for Iowa鈥檚 government: restructuring the state鈥檚 system of agencies, with a planned consolidation from 37 to 16 cabinet-level departments. While she said this would not result in loss of funding or services, she said the government would save money through combining offices, selling land and cutting full-time equivalent positions that are currently vacant. The governor鈥檚 office estimates its reorganization will save Iowa more than $214 million in the course of four years, with an estimated $73.5 million in savings in  year one.

Rural health care: As the state continues to struggle with workforce shortages, Reynolds proposed expanding Iowa鈥檚 existing apprenticeship programs for in-demand fields that require training. A large focus was on the state鈥檚 Iowa Health Careers Registered Apprenticeship Program, which said will expand to cover more nursing programs, EMR, EMT, and paramedic and direct care professional certification, as well as behavioral health training. This expansion would be met with an increase in funding from $3 million to $15 million, the governor proposed.

Iowa also faces a shortage of OB-GYN health care providers specifically. The governor announced her plans to use $560,000 to fund four obstetrics fellowships for family medicine physicians, who would be required to commit to practicing in rural and underserved communities for five years following the fellowship.

Additionally, Reynolds called for the creation of two new regional 鈥淐enters of Excellence,鈥� health care providers in rural Iowa that provide specialized services from cancer treatment, maternal health programs and surgery. Her budget would provide $575,000 to fund the new centers.

Abortion alternatives: While Reynolds and Republican leadership have said they plan to hold off on further abortion legislation until the Iowa Supreme Court makes a decision in the state鈥檚 law banning the procedure after six weeks, Reynolds did say she plans to increase funding available for abortion alternative organizations this year. Reynolds called for growing the 鈥淢ore Options for Maternal Support,鈥� or MOMS program funding from $500,000 to $2 million.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will appeal a federal judge鈥檚 ruling that enables school districts to impose universal mask mandates on students and staff.

鈥淎s I鈥檝e said all along, whether a child wears a mask to school is up to the parents, not the government,鈥� Reynolds said in a written statement. 鈥淚 will appeal this ruling so that Iowa families have the right to decide what鈥檚 best for their children.鈥�

In May 2021, Reynolds signed legislation prohibiting school districts from imposing mask mandates on staff and students. That brought by the parents of children who have disabilities or chronic health conditions that put them at greater risk of complications if they contract COVID-19.

The parents alleged the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by making it impossible for school districts to make reasonable accommodations for their children through the imposition of mask mandates.

An preventing the enforcement of the new law, but Reynolds appealed that decision. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the injunction, noting that COVID-19 conditions in classrooms had changed since the beginning of the pandemic.

That ruling focused only on the injunction and not on the broader issue of the law鈥檚 legality. Litigation over that issue continued and on Tuesday, a federal judge again ruled in favor of the parents, noting that doctors for three students had recommended the students鈥� teachers and classmates be masked.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

Gubernatorial candidates focusing on public schools is far from new.

But in the Iowa race for governor, both candidates have spent significant time on the campaign trail discussing their plans for the future of education in Iowa amid rising polarization on issues from vaccine and mask mandates to book bans and state funding.

While Gov. Kim Reynolds has not spent much time discussing her policy goals while campaigning for re-election, she has made education a top priority. In campaign speeches and ads, she highlights how her administration worked on reopening public schools which went to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa schools went back to in-person learning earlier than many other states, when she signed an order in July 2020 requiring students to receive at least half of their schooling in classrooms. She signed legislation in 2021 requiring school districts to provide a full-time classroom option for parents who request it.

Parents having a larger say in their children鈥檚 schooling is a recurring theme in the governor鈥檚 campaign.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to put parents back in charge of their children鈥檚 education,鈥� for U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in August.

Calls for 鈥榩arental control鈥� in schools

Reynolds said it is 鈥渃ommon sense鈥� for parents to make decisions on masking and vaccination in schools. That idea extends beyond COVID-19 policies: She has also called for parents to have a greater say in how schools approach transgenders students.

The discussions in Iowa arose after Linn-Mar Community School District adopted a policy whereby transgender students can adopt a 鈥済ender support plan,鈥� the district can require employees and other students use the individual鈥檚 preferred name and pronouns, and facilities will match students鈥� gender identity at school.

The policy states that students can decide whether their parents or guardians participate in the school鈥檚 鈥済ender support plan meeting.鈥�

The governor has as another reason Iowans should support her voucher proposal. Reynolds said in May that families need more choices in education, and those choices should not be limited if the parents can鈥檛 afford to transfer theri children to a private school.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 one of the reasons I think parents need an option,鈥� Reynolds said. 鈥淚f they feel that their child is not being educated in a safe environment, or they feel that their values aren鈥檛 being represented at school, or they feel that the school district is not focused on a quality education.鈥�

During a recent fundraiser, Reynolds highlighted legislation she which prohibits transgender girls and women from playing on women鈥檚 teams in most Iowa public schools and colleges.

鈥淲hen we protected girls鈥� sports for girls, they called it discrimination,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Iowa Democratic Party has lost sight of hard-working Iowans, and if elected, all of the things we鈥檝e done over the last four years will go away.鈥�

Michelle Veach, a Johnston parent, wore a shirt that stated 鈥渨e do not co-parent with the government鈥� to a Reynolds fundraiser earlier this month. She said one of the major reasons she supports the governor is because some of the material taught or available in public schools is inappropriate for children.

As a parent of children in Johnston public schools, Veach has where she read excerpts of the books 鈥淭he Hate U Give鈥� and 鈥淭he Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,鈥� books which are in the high school English class curriculum. Reynolds took their concerns seriously when she and other parents visited the Iowa State Capitol to discuss the books and other inappropriate content in schools, she said.

鈥淪he has listened to parents and worked with us whenever possible,鈥� Veach said. 鈥淲e want to be the authority with our kids education, our schools work for us. And we鈥檝e lost that in our culture.鈥�

Democrats call for more funding

Reynolds has highlighted issues like remote learning as a major problem in Iowa public schools. But her opponent, Democrat Deidre DeJear, says the problem is insufficient funding.

On the campaign trail, DeJear and other Iowa Democrats have repeatedly pledged to bring Iowa back to its position as a top state for education, an accolade that has slipped in recent years. In the most recent , Iowa placed 18th.

鈥淲e know as Iowans that鈥檚 not where we belong and that鈥檚 not what our children deserve,鈥� DeJear

The decline, she said, is due to state government鈥檚 failure to match education funding increases with rising inflation. The state legislature approved a this year, which Democrats say meets neither the pace of inflation, or makes up for underfunding in previous years. She she supports appropriating $300 million from Iowa鈥檚 budget surplus so that it can be used for education and compensate for the funding deficits.

Iowa鈥檚 public universities are also facing funding shortages. The Iowa Board of Regents at Iowa鈥檚 three public universities by more than $300 this year, as the state legislature only approved a $5.5 million increase in general aid while the schools requested $15 million after facing a $7 million cut in 2020. Student activists have said the tuition increases could prevent some Iowans from attending college.

The governor discussed college costs on the campaign trail as well, as she rallied against President Joe Biden鈥檚 student loan debt forgiveness program. Reynolds and Republican attorneys general in five other states challenging the Department of Education鈥檚 authority to forgive student loans.

Taking on the costs of higher education is a personal choice, Reynolds said, and the program would force taxpayers to take on that burden.

鈥淏y forcing them to pay for other people鈥檚 loans 鈥� regardless of income 鈥� President Biden鈥檚 mass debt cancellation punishes these Americans and belittles the path they chose,鈥� Reynolds said in a statement about the lawsuit.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .