In 1887 Iowa citizens were promised the best possible education for their children along with a commitment to keep power for education decisions within the local community. In 1967, these guarantees were reiterated by the Iowa Supreme Court who wrote: “directors are vested with authority to adopt rules governing itself and pupils. Operation of public schools under and in accord with the statutes is clearly vested in the directors.”

Iowa’s “school choice measure” not only reneges on history’s promises, but this dismantling of public funding for private education is irresponsible because it will not solve the issues that it claims to address.

Transferring public school dollars to private schools will not improve academic achievement. To cling to the misconstrued idea that competition between schools will improve education only demonstrates a willingness to relegate our children’s education to an act of chance. Is that the best you can do?

Every school in Iowa should be reaching academic standards and it is your responsibility to make it possible. Pilfering money from one school to give another will not accomplish improvement in anyone’s education as shown by studies in states that have tried vouchers. Even though the governor thinks she can find her own studies to support her opinion, real studies have shown that vouchers do not improve learning — and in many cases have reduced scores even more.

Financially this plan is derelict in its promise to fully fund Iowa’s schools, which already suffer from insufficient financial support on the part of the state. Allowable growth has not been adequately financed for 10 years and reducing school budgets even more by drawing money from public education and not replacing it, not auditing it and not ensuring that it is being used in equitable, diverse and verified ways is nothing more than the political manipulation of funds being done at the expense of our children and the future of this state.

Finally, as a council member of a small community I also have concerns about the ripple effect vouchers could create at the local level. Does your misplaced desire for competition extend to cities and schools too? Have you thought about the conflict this could potentially create as local and school governments are pitted against each other in their need for property tax revenue? And who will lose in your competition?

Small communities identify with, and are closely tied to, their school districts. If one wins this battle what will happen to the other?

Unless you fully fund every school in the state with the goal of making them all successful, school vouchers are a mistake for Iowa.

Jeanine Redlinger

Riverside, Iowa