Jessica Vanden Berg has worked in government, politics and advocacy for more than 25 years on all levels. She is from Pella, and lives in Des Moines with her 8-year-old daughter.
I have to admit, I was torn on how to vote on the school bond issue.
We left the Des Moines Public Schools and went to Horizon Science Academy (a new public charter school) because in our first grade year we had nothing short of a really bad experience for so many reasons. (Kindergarten was amazing, thus the shock.) I saw leadership problems, lack of knowledge/skills gap on neurodivergent issues, no real help for kids who were falling behind, lack of resources, failure to include family and community to change outcomes, and a huge problem with real communication and solution-oriented ideas.
I tried to address mid-level management, school board members, and even the superintendent. I got nothing. And I’m a parent with time, connections, and resources! That’s a big deal. The system is impossible to navigate. I paid someone to help me do it.
I realize this isn’t every family’s experience, but it is ours. We had to make difficult choices.
I had a hard time seeing how this $265 million bond issue would address those things, and an even harder time seeing where the leadership failed to address these issues time and time again. The bond issue does not address them. However, I understand the school district still could.
I will admit many are backed in a corner due to major multi-year funding issues, but I could not for the life of me understand why the district didn’t embrace more community involvement and parent support to help.
But I did vote yes, and here’s why.
Doing some math with a friend, it was clear that white flight in our metro area is rampant.
This is not a new concept, but most don’t think it’s happening. It is. If you take a look at the makeup of our city vs our schools, it will become evident what is happening both racial and economic. It will also become evident who is making the decisions, what lens they are using, and how it does not reflect the population of our schools.
Clearly, student retention is a problem. Will this bond issue make the Des Moines Public Schools competitive? Maybe, but what about its current students? What if you have an IEP, a 504 or need tutoring resources?
Why in the world would we scrap free and universal preschools? I couldn’t understand.
Why wouldn’t we make free after-school care a priority?
Why didn’t we reduce class sizes to help retain teachers?
Where’s the behavior training that’s desperately needed everywhere, and where are the additional para-educators, especially in elementary schools?
Why couldn’t we increase teacher pay, since retention and recruitment are huge issues?
Some of these problems may continue, but these kids deserve to have better-funded schools. While I wish the leadership, the decision makers, and the funders better represented the lens of our students, the reality is that without additional funding, they will fall further behind. Would I love for my kid to go to a performing arts school? Yes, she has some serious talent. But do I think literacy is more important? Also yes!
I also understand the frustration of the decision to hire the former superintendent, but that’s a major distraction.
I’m not pointing fingers or placing blame. A large school district has a lot of layers of decision makers.
I’m saying our kids deserve better. We love our STEM school, but they also understand what accommodations are needed for my kid to be successful. This is imperative. Even more so than a STEM education. I’ve learned in real terms: if your kid can’t read, they can’t do math. And guess what? Sometimes they elope from their class. Maybe you shouldn’t punish the kid, but teach them to read!
City of Des Moines demographics
- White – 61.7%
- African American – 11.8%
- Asian -6.15%
- White/Hispanic – 5.18%
- Hispanic – 4.98%
- People living below the poverty level: between 14.9% and 15.2%
Des Moines Public School demographics
- Hispanic – 32.3%
- White – 31.1%
- African American – 21.6%
- Asian – 7.4%
- Multi-Racial – 6.9%
- Native American – 0.4%
- Pacific Islander – 0.3%
Des Moines Public School programs
- Free and reduced-price lunch – 75.1%
- English Language Learners- 25.6%
- Special Education – 14.8%
Please remember this: these statistics don’t include neurodivergent kids.
Vote Yes for Des Moines schools, and definitely vote.
I will add one more thing: we have not ruled out coming back to the Des Moines Public Schools.
We hope these changes create success.
But we have to be eyes wide open on the challenges of education. Saying school vouchers are bad is not a policy.
Real ideas and solutions are.
And we also must recognize that even if the political tides turn in our state, it will be a very long time before we dismantle the voucher system. So, how are we going to fix this?
Top photo is by Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools, taken at Edmunds Elementary School taken on January 31, 2025. Originally published on the school district’s Flickr account.