Education reform: “Rhetoric without resources simply won’t cut it”

Here’s the response by the education leaders of the Iowa Senate to the initial release of Governor Branstad’s education reforms:

The chairs of the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Education Budget Subcommittee today welcomed Governor Branstad’s education reform proposals.  At the same time, they raised concerns about the Governor’s record of inadequate state support for local schools.

Both of the Senate’s education leaders said they share Governor Branstad’s goals for improving Iowa schools:

• Raising academic standards
• Increasing teacher and school administrator effectiveness
• Implementing innovation that increases learning

“Iowa has good schools but there is always room for improvement,” said State Senator Brian Schoenjahn of Arlington, the chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee and a retired high school teacher. “While talking with people in my district and visiting local schools, I’ve listened to educators, parents, and students. They know that we can’t keep doing the same things in our schools and expect better results.”

State Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames chairs the Senate Education Committee and is an economics professor at Iowa State University.  He represents one of the state’s largest school districts and some of its smallest school districts.“The governor’s proposal is one more step in a lengthy process of education improvement.  We intend to give fair and serious consideration to his ideas.  The next step is to listen to educators, parents, and students across the state to get their ideas, too, and to hear their reactions to Branstad’s suggestions.”

Quirmbach added, “Education Director Jason Glass has repeatedly told legislators that goals like attracting more top graduates into teaching, freeing up time for master teachers to mentor and collaborate with colleagues, and aligning course design and teaching methods with new, higher curriculum goals all will require additional resources.  We eagerly await the other half of the governor’s proposal, which will be his budget message in January.”

“After the governor’s unprecedented recommendation last year of zero allowable growth for K-12 for two years and his efforts to slash funding for preschool, Governor Branstad will have a lot to prove next year about just how serious he is about improving education.  The Governor’s got the right goals — but rhetoric without resources simply won’t cut it,” said Schoenjahn.

Schoenjahn and Quirmbach said they expect that Republican and Democratic legislators will be meeting with local educators, parents, teachers, and other interested Iowans to discuss education reform before the legislative session begins on January 9, 2012.