Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to Iowa’s public schools for 38 years. He taught for eleven years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association regional director for 27 years until retiring. He can be reached at BruceLear2419@gmail.com 

The digital clock silently clicks 3:01 a.m. Her eyes flash open. She’s a teacher and she knows 3:01 isn’t awake time especially when 27 pairs of third grade eyes will be staring at her in a few hours. Her mind reviews every lesson rewriting in her mind. Then she begins to worry about her career choice. Will it get easier? How do I balance family with school?

She hopes her school can hire more teachers, reduce paperwork, meetings, and maybe agree to a raise above insurance increase. But money is tight. She needs more time to prepare so her teaching bag isn’t filled to the brim at home. She prays she’ll be allowed to be creative because that’s the joy of teaching. She’s exhausted by interference. 

Her last thought before drifting off to a dreamy sun-soaked beach is a hope Iowa legislators will stop punching down on her profession.

But hope isn’t a strategy.

No one needs a crystal ball to predict what might happen in this legislative session. After all, we have recent history as a predictor. History may not always repeat itself, but as the saying goes, “It often rhymes.” Here are some of those rhymes.

Property tax reform

No one likes to pay property taxes. But property taxes are a consistent source of funding. That’s why public-school funding and many essential services provided by cities and counties are tied to them.

A slash-and-burn approach to cutting property taxes will scorch schools, counties, and cities beyond repair.

For example, U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra, now a Republican candidate for governor, has suggested a property tax freeze for seniors. I know Feenstra avoids crowds, but he should step inside any Iowa church. He’d be blinded by the white hair. Iowa’s an old state. Schools will close, and counties and towns will dry up, unless an alternative funding source that matches property taxes is provided. 

We only hear crickets regarding any alternative funding source.

Public school funding

Iowa Republicans sharply cut income taxes shortly before they provided a costly new private school entitlement with no ceiling. They’ve blown through the state budget surplus they’ve been bragging about. 

I predict they’ll solemnly announce public schools will need to make do once again with an under-inflation State Supplemental Aid amount. After all, they need to fund private schools. In addition, there may be a push for homeschoolers to get a piece of school funding pie. That will make the pie even thinner and even less tasty for hungry public schools. Public schools need at least a 5 percent increase in per-pupil funding from the state.

IPERS

The good news is the majority party realizes this is a “third rail.” Republican lawmakers know if they touch it, they may fry their reelection possibilities. Instead, they’ll form a committee to make recommendations. The committee unfortunately will look a lot like the DOGE task force, with no public employees involved.

A handpicked committee keeps politician fingerprints off unpopular changes. But IPERS changes are far from dead. Watch which politicians receive big contributions from the financial planning industry. That will tell us how determined they’ll be about making changes.

Wedge issues

I expect to see more bills that would meddle in classroom content. Lawmakers are also worried about a teacher shortage, so look for a lowering of teacher standards, a bad band-aid approach to a tourniquet problem.

We’ll also be treated to their deep-seated fear of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and once again they’ll punch down on books they don’t like.

These predictions aren’t inevitable. Educators and community leaders need to speak with one voice. Attend legislative forums, ask hard questions, and join protests. Our public schools are not just places of learning; they are our community centers. Let’s protect an Iowa resource.