Statement by Tammy Wawro, President of the Iowa State Education Association

in support of Davenport schools

DES MOINES, IA (03/11/2015)(readMedia)-- Statement by ISEA President Tammy Wawro on Davenport school district

The Iowa State Education Association stands with the Davenport school district superintendent Dr. Art Tate, parents, students, and other community members.

When the state Legislature refuses to comply with the law and set supplemental state aid for FY 16 and FY 17 and repeatedly threatens to set it too low, they place Dr. Tate in an untenable position of violating the law in order to take care of his students. We are proud of his decision to take care of his students.

There is an easy solution. Setting supplemental state aid at 4 percent would negate the need for school districts to contemplate violating state law.

Additionally, legislators have an obligation to follow the law as well and listen to their constituents. Shame on them for calling out the Davenport schools for flouting the law when in fact, they have broken their own laws for the past five years. And, shame on them for characterizing our school funding emergency as "beating a dead horse", when school districts across the state are shouting that they have received inadequate funding for too long and cannot make ends meet.

Legislators need to pay attention to the message out of Davenport. Iowa's students are not "worth-less" than the Walmarts, Targets, and other big corporations that will enjoy over $51 million in tax breaks the Legislature just approved at the expense of our public schools. They are not worth less than the $600 million surplus legislators are holding onto for a rainy day, and they are certainly not worth less than a re-examination of our state budget in an effort to find the resources needed to make them a priority.

Pass 4 percent SSA and make sure Iowa's students are not worth less than.

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The ISEA is a professional association made up of nearly 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students.