I will continue to serve on the Education Committee this year.
As I have in the past, I will propose and work on legislation for educational savings accounts that will partially subsidize the cost of private school education. Governor Reynolds has a bill that would significantly fund the cost of 10,000 Iowa children who are presently enrolled in public schools. There is, however, no funding for children already enrolled in private schools.
Many parents have expressed concerns about gender identity-related content being presented to their children in our public schools. In response, I have drafted a bill that would require written notice and written consent of parents who can then opt their children out. I have also introduced legislation that would limit bathroom/locker room use to the sex of a child at birth out of the legitimate safety and privacy concerns of women and girls.
There is a notable achievement gap in Iowa that must be addressed among minorities in Iowa. I will again have a bill that will offer some student loan forgiveness to minority teachers who presently only compose 2% of Iowa’s teacher workforce when compared to 26% of Iowa’s student body. This approach has been proven to work. If successful, this might provide some relief to Iowa’s workforce shortage. In addition, I have requested a study bill that will examine the achievement gap issue to look for more answers to this pressing issue.
We have all sat down at a dinner table and seen a child glued to their device. What should concern us, is how smartphones are affecting their cognitive development. Research has shown an incremental decline in test scores and socialization of our children that can be reasonably correlated to technology. A study bill has been requested to define and address the issue.
I am not an anti-vaxxer. However, I am someone who believes Iowans have a choice when faced with vaccination mandates. If there is a risk, there should be a choice. I have submitted a request for a constitutional amendment that recognizes Iowans’ right to medical freedom and a bill that requires data tracking of death, adverse outcomes, and hospitalizations related to Covid-19 vaccinations.
How can 26% of Iowa’s student body be minorities when 90.02% of our general population is listed as white? I don’t understand…
It took 2 hours of looking at spread sheets to find the answer. 34% of all Hispanics in Iowa are enrolled in public schools. 9% of the white population is enrolled in public schools. Obviously border jumpers are bring their children to Iowa to be educated…