Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/401002
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org October/November 2014 7 COVER the new insurance marketplace created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act despite being the state's largest insurer. He also called its cash reserves of $1.3 billion "obnoxious" in light of the company's habit of hitting customers with double-digit rate hikes. These aren't the words that make allies or friends. Turns out Forsyth is there. So are more than a dozen other business executives. Hatch chats amicably with Jim Israel from John Deere and Larry Zimpleman, CEO of the Principal Financial Group. Then Hatch takes a seat for roughly an hour's worth of questions. Hatch earned the support of the Iowa State Education Association Political Action Committee because of his promise to expand early childhood education, his support for adequate state funding for schools and advocacy for policies that would benefit middle class workers. Those are some of the same proposals he shares with the business council: universal preschool, a middle class tax cut and spreading state tax breaks around to dozens upon dozens of small businesses instead of putting them all into a few big companies. It's hard to say if Hatch wins the business council over, but he does get some laughs, and even a few nods, before his time is up. He'll leave, stop at a bakery in downtown Pella and grab some lunch at a coffee house. "Think we made any friends?" Hatch asks Hedgecoth shrugs his shoulders. "You made your points. You showed them where there's a contrast. That counts," he responds. Over the course of the next few hours, he'll share his views on state politics, policy and why he should be Iowa's next governor with folks in Pella. It's a hard sell in this state where Republican Terry Branstad is running for an unprecedented sixth term in office. Polls have shown Hatch within single digits of Branstad, but he has never led. And the incumbent governor's campaign staff likes to gloat about the record- setting amount of money Branstad has hauled in. Still, Hatch believes he can – and will – win. Upsets do happen: Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey; George W. Bush and Ann Richards; and, more recently Dave Brat and Eric Cantor. Maybe history will add Jack Hatch and Terry Branstad to the list. On the Issues: "My mother was a teacher. She recognized early that I had a reading challenge – reading first grade books in third grade. It was dyslexia. She, of course helped me. If I hadn't had that early intervention, I would not have gone on to college. My outlook on the system really starts with her." – Hatch on what forms his education worldview. "I thought what was passed was acceptable except for the expansion of the homeschooling to children who are not members of the family and taking away all the standards and certifications. It's questionable whether or not we want them to create mini-schools in their homes." – Hatch on the 2014 education reform bill which introduced Teacher Leadership and Compensation to the state as well as greatly expanded homeschool autonomy. "Universal early childhood education is a reform effort I would pursue. Every child would go into early childhood education, Pre-K as a 4-year-old and the facilities are provided and teachers are provided and funding is shared and provided." – Hatch on how he defines universal preschool. "I don't know why we allow someone who is 16 to drop out. We create a pool of unemployed adults who don't have their high school education … it creates a perpetual underclass of underpaid and under-skilled workers." – Hatch on why he wants to increase the minimum age of a student who decides to drop out of school from 16 to 18. "I agree with the current law, otherwise you have school districts who don't know if they are going to be able to keep their personnel. Eighteen months out is the right timeline. I think it's been held hostage by politics and I see a big inconsistency in the governor wanting two-year budgeting but not allowing schools to have it." – Hatch on his promise to set supplemental state aid 18 months in advance of the start of the school year, which the law requires, but that law hasn't always been followed. "I know you can't evaluate teachers from the same standards because students are all different. Taking one-size-fits-all is pretty narrow-minded." – Hatch on why he supports a portfolio system for teacher evaluations. A state committee is expected to make a recommendation to the Legislature on a statewide assessment for teachers and administrators. Hatch hoping for an upset continued Jack Hatch takes a call during lunch at the Smokey Row coffee shop in Pella, Iowa, in September. A state senator from Des Moines, Hatch also runs a development company that specializes in building affordable housing. Continued from page 1 A voice for all continued Continued from page 1 government administration. While the Iowa Secretary of State is largely an administrative office, it is also on the front lines of the ballot access debate. Here, and across the country, there have been moves to limit voting rights. The Iowa State Education Association supports equal ballot access for all citizens. Anderson, 39, has championed that cause. His first major campaign push was to encourage Iowans to overtake Minnesota as the state with the highest voter turnout. He's proposed a "digital election ambassador" program which teachers can incorporate into the curriculum to engage students in the process. "Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, young people are becoming more and more connected to the Internet. I will work with students and educators to use new forms of digital communication to reach Iowa's youngest voters where they are: in the classroom and on the Internet," Anderson said. Other initiatives he supports include simplifying the vote-by-mail process and begin online voter registration in Iowa. He says the office should create an election information hub for voters to check accurate dates, times and polling locations for statewide elections. He also supports reducing the number of elections to support voter fatigue, but thinks school board elections should remain independent. "It shouldn't be a Democrat or Republican issue," he said. "I want everyone who can vote – regardless of their political affiliation – to be able to. I want to make it easier for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, whoever." Brad Anderson