DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- After decades as the crossroads of prairie populists and checkbook conservatives, Iowa has suddenly become solidly Republican like many of its Midwestern neighbors.
It was one of four states - along with Kentucky, Missouri and New Hampshire - that flipped to complete GOP control in the November election, but Iowa's rush of new legislation has been the most intense.
In an all-night session last week, Iowa lawmakers approved a bill similar to one enacted in Wisconsin six years ago that strips most public sector unions of long-held collective bargaining rights, including health insurance.
Jeff Orvis, a veteran northern Iowa high school teacher, said he sees the measure leaving permanent damage to Iowa's century-old reputation for quality schools, enshrined on the state's 2004 commemorative quarter: "Foundation in education."
"Now, I don't even see how Iowa is going to attract good teachers," said Jeff Orvis, a union representative from northern Iowa. "That's my biggest worry."
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3 comments:
Iowa was attracting good teachers with its great benefits, pay, and union protection.
But after a few years, the glow wore off all but a few truly talented teachers who put their students first and truly enhanced their learning experiences, even though they were sometimes ostracized by the ones taking tenured naps. Hopefully, the state education department will take a hard look at those entrenched academic snoozers among its many PK-12 faculties across the state and make some appropriate changes in the way of periodic teacher assessment, effective inservice training (not just some "conferences" with lame PowerPoint presentations, catered food and gift bags), and a general housecleaning.
This reality check should also extend as a wake-up call to the local boards of education, many of whose members have become administrative snoozers.
This can be a wake-up call, too, to every state's teachers' unions and boards of education, whose activities have become horribly and dysfunctionally entrenched in entitlement and the Democratic Party's idea of what should and should not be taught in schools.
Republicans are making America great again.
Democrats are in full meltdown and are showing their true colors. People are getting it.
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