Iowa House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday proposed a $267 million investment in Iowa schools for the 2023-24 school year, drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans’ misplaced priorities and continued underfunding of public education.
“Show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities,” Senate Education Committee Ranking Member Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said. “Instead of blowing $160 million on a corporate tax giveaway and $107 million on subsidizing private schools for the few, we owe it to the 92% of kids who attend public schools to invest in their future.”
The proposal offered by Democratic lawmakers would not only prevent budget cuts, layoffs and loss of academic programs in public schools, but also expand mental health support for students, raise pay for teachers, and reduce class sizes.
“Iowa Democrats believe every kid deserves a quality education, regardless of where they live,” said House Education Committee Ranking Member Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City. “If there is anything we’ve heard in the first weeks of session, it’s that Iowans want strong public schools. It’s time for the Governor and Republican lawmakers to stop playing politics and put our kids in public schools before corporate tax cuts and private schools.”
Already in 2023, the Governor and Republican lawmakers have committed $107 million in state funds to exclusive private schools and handed out $160 million in tax cuts to the largest corporations in the state. A $267 million investment in public schools ensures our students, teachers and communities receive equal priority.
“Six years of Republican neglect have allowed inflation to run far ahead of state support for our schools,” Quirmbach said, “Our proposal begins to fill that gap.”
# # #
