Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1514146
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org February2024 9 LEGISLATIVE ADVANCE By Melissa Peterson, legislative and policy director, melissa.peterson@isea.org The ISEA is preparing for another contentious legislative session, inuenced by what are likely to be competitive elections in November at the state and federal levels. Despite the distraction and obstacles created by those pushing a purely political narrative, the ISEA will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to address the real challenges facing our public schools: 3 Inadequate funding for public education; 3 The need for competitive compensation for all public education professionals; 3 Teacher and sta shortages, exacerbated by poor morale and disrespect; 3 Mental health challenges facing students and sta; 3 Increasingly challenging behavior issues plaguing our classrooms and schools. Discussions over the interim with legislators on both sides of the aisle have highlighted a desire to address these challenges. However, the devil will be in the details. Compensation for public education professionals needs to be competitive and sustainable to ensure we can retain and recruit quality sta. Mental health supports and resources to best address the needs of our students and our professionals has become a popular talking point. However, we must work with elected ocials to commit resources in the form of additional sta and funding to address accessibility issues and comprehensive solutions that truly meet the needs of Iowans. We will also do our best to ensure all 150 members of the Iowa Legislature, as well as the governor, are aware of the wonderful work you do every day in our preK-12 public schools, our area education agencies (AEAs) and our community colleges. We will emphasize the need for improving morale and exercising respect for education professionals. Additionally, we are already taking steps to ensure lawmakers who recently promised to address perceived budgetary bloat at our AEAs, are educated about the important work our AEA members do and know that any proposed changes could adversely disrupt vital services for our most vulnerable students. We also will work to ensure the legislature applies the same level of scrutiny to the newly created voucher program estimated to cost the state more than $144 million during the 2023-2024 school year. Any legislative action taken should be centered on what is best for our students, in collaboration with educators, parents and the communities we serve. This session, we will continue to oer bi-weekly virtual briengs to keep you up to date with what the ISEA and lawmakers are working on, as well as ensuring you have a chance to share your thoughts and experiences to help further guide our legislative work. Please make sure you follow the ISEA Facebook page, visit www.isea.org for lobbying resources, and you receive the Hotline - the weekly email newsletter during session- for the latest information, a list of forums, and calls for action. Please share these resources with your friends and colleagues and help us spread the word. You are vital to the success of our students and our state. Your involvement helps lawmakers to focus, not on divisive issues, but student-centered policy, helping us work toward our goal of de-politicizing support for public education and education professionals. Thank you for all that you do and as always, email me any questions and concerns at melissa.peterson@isea.org. 2024 Legislative Preview Perry Education Association Vice President Mari Butler Abry (foreground) and President Mandy Myers attend a vigil in Wiese Park on Jan. 4. Earlier in the day, a 17-year-old student fatally shot a sixth-grader and shot four other students and an administrator before dying of a self-inicted gunshot wound. MIKE WISER/IOWA STATE EDUCAITON ASSOCIATION