Paul McKinley for Iowa

Strengthening Iowa's Foundation in Education

School may be out for the summer but that does not mean it is time to take a vacation from discussing ways we can better prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders. A vibrant future rests with having a well educated public that has the skills to keep our economy prosperous, our communities thriving and our families healthy. 

 

When lots of politicians talk about education, often their only solutions are to keep following the same status quo path. They just talk about spending more money, growing the size of the bureaucracy, adding more mandates to local schools and further empowering union bosses.

 

In Iowa, that path has not produced the results our children deserve.

 

Today, 20 to 25 percent of our students are one year or more below grade level. This drastic change in direction is one of the leading reasons why our eighth graders in 1993 were first in mathematics but have now fallen to 28^th. The 2008 Iowa Condition of Education Report shows student proficiency has decreased over the past year in fourth grade reading, fourth grade math, eleventh grade reading and eleventh grade math.

 

Simply spending more money without real reform is not the answer. Iowa already spends approximately $4 billion on education – nearly two-thirds of the state’s budget – on education. Since 2001, per pupil funding has increased by 50 percent. We have spent billions of dollars and yet student achievement has stagnated and in many instances declined.

 

This is unacceptable.  That is why Senate Republicans have offered a fresh alternative.

 

• First and foremost, we need to properly re-establish the definition of education. Iowa has a proud educational heritage because we have already made it about preparing our students to achieve success and be productive citizens. We believe education should be about achievement and teaching our children the necessary skills they need to successfully compete in the global marketplace.

 

On one hand, parents, employers and community leaders agree the purpose of  education is to develop and prepare students to be productive citizens and possess the skills and knowledge to compete in the global marketplace. On the other hand, the elite educational establishment fosters the notion the purpose of education is to promote equality, diversity, social justice and self-esteem. Sadly, educating our children is no longer necessarily an academic endeavor – it often seems more of a social experiment. Education must be about academics and teaching our students the skills they need to succeed.

 

• Secondly, we must concentrate on the fundamentals again. We do not believe we need to re-invent the wheel. Oftentimes we are just moving our students through our system before they have learned the fundamentals of reading, writing, math and science while our establishment elite instead chases after fads and gimmicks derived from a wayward social agenda. It is troubling that Governor Culver and legislative Democrats would rather concentrate on bullying legislation or mandating how much a child should exercise a day instead of concentrating on the fundamental skills that our students need to achieve success in this global economy.

 

• Next, we believe our students will respond to heightened expectations if we challenge them. There are many examples where children in Asian countries or in India are learning calculus in junior high while students in Iowa may not learn it until high school and college – or worse yet – never at all. We are experiencing a an international achievement gap and we must aspire to take the steps necessary to close it. We believe students will respond to the challenge if we provide them with world-class standards, ambitious benchmarks and a rigorous curriculum grounded in the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, science, history and civics.

 

Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have approached academic standards by prescribing a one-size-fits-all, top-down, experiment on our students and teachers. Attempts to create a statewide “core curriculum” have limited the flexibility of local teachers, parents and school boards.

 

• Lastly, we believe we need more accountability and transparency. Everyone must be accountable for the success of our students. Though these children may be students today, we will be relying on them to be the leaders of tomorrow. Students, parents, schools, colleges of education and policymakers all need to be held accountable. We need to pay our good teachers well and weed out those who are not meeting the necessary standards.

 

When we get back to the basics, we will again be able to put our students first by preparing them to be productive citizens who possess the necessary skills and knowledge to compete with any one else in the world.

Taking Action to Honor our Veterans

All across the country this week, in parks, cemeteries and schools, Americans joined with neighbors, family and friends to commemorate Memorial Day and pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and liberty.

 

The moving tributes are an awesome reminder of the generations of Americans who answered a calling to serve a cause greater than themselves so that others could live in the greatest country the world has ever known.

 

Thousands of men and women, many from here in Iowa, are today serving all over the world. A lot of those brave men and women are stationed in dangerous areas of the world with hostile conditions.  Like those who proudly wore the uniform before them, they have left their families, their communities and their jobs to defend our great nation from those who wish to do us harm.

 

Honoring our brave men and women in uniform – past and present – must not become just a tradition that happens one weekend every May. It is our duty to ensure that our veterans, members of the reserves, National Guard, active duty personnel and their families are given the appreciation they have earned.

 

During this past legislative session, several bills aimed at supporting our veterans and their families were passed by the Legislature. For example, hiring assistance for disabled veterans and promotion of businesses owned by disabled veterans gained approval this spring. In addition, new tax advice requirements were passed to help military personnel before and after they are deployed. Veterans will also now gain representation on mental health policy bodies and the Legislature also expanded eligibility for the Injured Veterans Grant Program.

 

Several bills also were passed to promote the preservation of the U.S.S. Iowa battleship as a permanent naval museum, expand the code of Military Justice to better account for the retirement benefits as well as adding the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary to those entities recognized as a military veterans organization for purposes of acting as an honor guard.

 

These bills were largely passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support, signed by the governor and are all a step in the right direction. However, more needs to be done.

 

All Iowans, including our veterans and the current members of our armed forces, are facing the same unacceptably high unemployment, out-of-control spending, record levels of debt and ever increasing property taxes brought by this governor and his allies in the Legislature during the last four years.

 

We can do better.

 

We believe we need to put the focus back on private sector job creation, keep government living within its means and end the expensive property tax increases that continue to mount and hold us back.

 

The men and women who today proudly wear the uniform, like those before them, deserve our utmost respect and the absolute very best. Because of their sacrifices, we enjoy the blessings of life, liberty, freedom and opportunity. There is no price that any of us can put on that.

Jump-starting Job Creation in Iowa

Iowans received more sobering news on the economy late last week. Unemployment ticked up to 6.9 percent with 116,800 Iowans out of work – an increase of 2,600 from the month before.

 

This news comes as Governor Culver is traveling the state touting his $1.7 billion dollar I-JOBS program that he promised would create 30,000 jobs and spur an economic revitalization of Iowa’s economy. But since unveiling his I-JOBS idea during the Condition of the State address in January 2009, Iowa has actually lost over 30,000 jobs while nearly $1.7 billion has been added to the state’s credit card.

 

Based on employment numbers from Iowa Workforce Development, the graph below illustrates the month by month unemployment numbers since Governor Culver announced his temporary work program.

 

 

Clearly, Culver’s expensive program has failed. Government cannot create jobs – it’s the private sector and small business that is the engine of job growth.

 

That’s why we need a new direction for Iowa – one that actually puts the focus on private sector job creation and puts Iowans back into good paying jobs in every county and community in this state.

 

Senate Republicans have a better plan.

 

Instead of empowering government bureaucrats to pick winners as is the direction taken by Governor Culver and legislative Democrats, Senate Republicans believe we must give entrepreneurs, employers and small business owners the tools they need to not only succeed today – but into the future as well. 

 

Our detailed three point plan involves providing an immediate jolt of adrenaline to Iowa’s economy by offering aggressive tax incentives for hiring more Iowans while also cultivating good ideas and encouraging entrepreneurs to come forward to develop or expand their venture right here in Iowa.

 

In addition, our plan includes putting together an extensive volunteer commission of business leaders and entrepreneurs from around that state that will be tasked with identifying the onerous barriers and regulations that are holding back growth, development, expansion and job creation in Iowa. The Legislature and governor will need to act on these citizen suggestions.

 

When Governor Culver took office and legislative Democrats took over both chambers of the Legislature in January of 2007, Iowa’s unemployment was at 3.6 percent.  Today it is on the verge of 7 percent.

 

Last year, Iowa lost 222 factories and two-thirds of Iowa’s counties lost population because of a lack of jobs. Today we remain 49^th in the nation in friendliness to job creators according to US News & World Report and 41^st according to the very reputable Small Business Survival Index.

 

We have now seen four years of sky high property taxes, irresponsible spending and generational debt. Year after year, Democrats have discussed and in some instances passed damaging anti-jobs legislation like gutting Iowa’s Right to Work status, decimating our worker’s compensation system, fundamentally altering our collective bargaining methods and implementing a property tax increasing prevailing wage.

 

We can and must do better.  The status quo in Iowa cannot continue. 

 

Senate Republicans know we can experience a 99 county resurgence. Iowa is filled with promise because we have wonderful people in welcoming communities who have a burning passion to build a better Iowa for their families, friends and neighbors.

 

We must begin to change direction, reignite the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector and welcome the new economy of tomorrow. Let us again put our faith in the people to move Iowa forward instead of allowing government to hold us back.

 

Iowa Independent: Dems show lack of energy

One Republican leader said the numbers are evidence that the party is excited about their candidates.

“Compared to the noticeable lack of energy on the Democratic side, Republicans are enthusiastic about the upcoming elections,” said Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, who has been active during the primary season. “Iowans are ready to replace the failed leadership of Gov. Culver and his out-of-touch Democratic allies in the Legislature.”

Read the entire article on the Iowa Independent website.

Culver's Big Government Spending Brings Higher Unemployment

DES MOINES - Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) today issued the following statement regarding Iowa’s rise in unemployment from 6.8 percent to 6.9 percent proving that Governor Culver and legislative Democrats’ unsustainable big government spending to create temporary work has failed:

 

“While we all hope more Iowans can find good jobs soon, today’s unemployment news is disappointing and unacceptable. A year ago, Governor Culver promised Iowans that his I-Jobs plan would create 30,000 new jobs but since that time, Iowa has actually lost over 30,000 jobs. If the goal was to create jobs, Governor Culver’s big government spending has become a colossal failure.

 

“Senate Republicans believe we need policies that promote long-term sustainable private sector job creation. All we get from Governor Culver is more unacceptable spending, more debt and more Iowans out of work.”