Investing in education is investing in the long-term growth of Iowa’s economy. We can’t expect to be competitive and have a 21st Century workforce if we continue to follow the Branstad-Reynolds model of shortchanging our schools. For years, this administration has chosen to underfund our classrooms and slash the critical resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to our students.
That will come to an end when I am elected Governor. My wife Ann is a public school teacher, together we have three kids who all attend public schools here in Iowa, and I am committed to fully funding our schools on schedule, every year, without delays.
Also, after years of delays, I will put in place an assessment that measures what is being taught in our classrooms to provide parents, administrators, and policymakers with a clear picture of how Iowa kids and districts are performing. That information is critical to ensuring young Iowans are prepared to enter college and eventually the workforce.
Finally, I will stand up for Iowa’s educators and restore collective bargaining rights by issuing an executive order on my first day in office. For more than four decades, this system gave teachers and other workers a voice in the workplace. Iowa teachers who work hard and play by the rules deserve that basic level of fairness.