Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/485425
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org March 2015 3 OPINION Our public schools were built to serve every child who passes through the doors. They were established to level the playing field for the rich and the poor, the bold and the meek and the students with strong parent advocates and those without. March 2015 – Vol. 52, No. 5 The ISEA Communiqué (ISSN 0019-0624) is published seven times a year (monthly except July & August; plus combined in October/ November, December/January, and April/ May) by the Iowa State Education Association, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309, 515-471-8000 or 1-800-445-9358. $3.87 of membership dues is for a year's subscription; for nonmembers, the annual subscription is $10. Periodical postage is paid at Des Moines and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to ISEA Membership Records, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309. Advertising: To advertise, contact Charles Lapham at 515-471-8000 or email clapham@isea.org. ISEA makes no representations regarding advertised products or services that are not endorsed by ISEA or NEA Member Benefits. Duplicate mailings? To stop duplicate mailings to the same household, contact Kimberly Hupp at 515-471-8000 or email khupp@isea.org. President: Tammy Wawro Vice President: Mike Beranek Treasurer: Tom McLaughlin NEA Directors: Ray Feuss, Joshua Brown Executive Director: Mary Jane Cobb Editor: Mike Wiser Editorial Assistant: Charles Lapham Visit us on the Web at isea.org I became a grandmother in February. The overwhelming joy I have felt with the arrival of my new grandson is beyond my wildest dreams. He is perfect. I look at him and know how lucky I am to have this wonderful little boy in my world. I know I will do everything in my power to make sure he is cared for, protected, and has every advantage and opportunity I can provide. I also know I am not alone in this. Families all over Iowa want to provide the best for their young. We all want access to neighborhood schools where our children are supported, nurtured and their curiosity piqued. We want our children to be challenged; we want their dreams to come alive and their thoughts to soar. Of course all of this requires teachers who can focus on the needs of their students because they have the time, energy and resources to do so. It means that schools need access to a breadth of course offerings, special programs, curriculum, equipment and gymnasiums built to bring pride and enthusiasm for a team. None of this is unreasonable or beyond what was promised our children by policymakers. Most - if not all - promised to take care of our children. They tell voters they care about the future of our state. They say they will support education and keep Iowa competitive in the 21st Century. Where are they now? Neighborhood schools are suffering because many politicians break their promises once they are elected. Governor Terry Branstad and Republican legislators say our public schools take up too much of the state budget. Providing additional funds to schools in need is not a priority for them. They continue with this position in spite of the countless contrary stories they hear from educators, administrators, parents and students. Iowa's schools are in distress. Public schools have been shortchanged. This has caused administrators to slice budgets to the breaking point. For many schools there is simply no more space to pack additional students into classrooms for many schools there are no more available desks and no more equipment to go around. History books are 12-to-15 years old, curriculum is missing the accompanying parts and lab equipment is outdated and cannot accommodate the numbers in the class. This hurts our children. This hurts their opportunity to learn and to grow into the young adults we dream they will become. Our public schools were built to serve every child who passes through the doors. They were established to level the playing field for the rich and the poor, the bold and the meek and the students with strong parent advocates and those without. Unfortunately this system is being challenged with too little funding and not enough support. We cannot give up on the system, on our students or on each other. And most importantly, we will not let those who broke their promises to our children off the hook. We will continue our fight for increased funding for all of our students because we know to do otherwise wrong. Some legislators are now skipping public forums because they are afraid to face us. We will continue to email, tweet, Facebook, phone and reach them in any way we know how. They cannot ignore us if we do not let them. The fight is not over. There is still time to speak for those who cannot and to remind those in power what our public schools were established to do. Be powerful. You are the Iowa State Education Association ! I know that I will not give up on my grandson, on Iowa's students, or on you. Why we fight by Tammy Wawro, ISEA president, twawro@isea.org - 9 - 9 - 9 Untitled-2 1 11/16/09 7:33:41 PM - 9