Rep. Chris Hagenow: School Choice Preserved in House Version of Education Reform

By Rep. Chris Hagenow
Providing a world-class education has historically been one of the most important priorities for Iowans. Last Wednesday, after a debate lasting until midnight the night before, the House passed acomprehensive education reform plan, based on many of the proposals initiated by Gov. Terry Branstad.

I share Iowans’ belief that education is vitally important not just for our children today, but also for our state’s future.

Going into this process, we knew that we had a big task before us. Iowa’s schools are in desperate need of help. Over the past 10 years, our test scores in reading and math have fallen while other states’ scores have been rising.

What do you think about proposals to reform Iowa's system? Tell us in comments.

From 1992 to 2009, Iowa’s eighth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics scores fell from the top in the nation, down to merely average. And even though Iowa has above-average scores on the ACT, only 30 percent of test-takers in 2010 met all four ACT benchmarks for college readiness.

Recent polls indicate that Iowans support education reform. Iowans expect and deserve a world-class education for their children. In light of this, the proposed bill works to ensure that Iowa students not only have basic education skills such as math and reading, but also have the advanced skills to compete in a globally-competitive economy.

One final goal of the reform bill was to establish greater accountability of taxpayer dollars, so that parents and taxpayers can have confidence that each dollar is going directly to Iowa students.

Despite broad agreement on the need for education reform, there obviously are a wide range of ideas on how to get there. To reach consensus, many of the more controversial ideas were removed from the bill, and several other items added. The final bill incorporated 16 amendments, authored by members of both parties.

I sponsored one amendment, adopted to the bill, which allows for religious schools to be exempt from core curriculum requirements in conflict with tenets of their religious faith.  Additionally, nonpublic schools would be exempt from a requirement of having to post their job openings on the state’s job listing site.

I believe strongly in school choice and the right of parents to determine what is best for their children.  We have several quality private schools in our area, including Dowling Catholic, Des Moines Christian School and Iowa Christian Academy.  This language is important to protect them mandates to teach things they do not believe.  Along with parental freedom to choose a private school should be the freedom of that school to adhere to its closely held beliefs.

After working through over 50 amendments, the final result was a bill which moves on to the Senate, where I trust that the work of improving the bill will continue.  The education reform bill is a good example of how the legislative process can sometimes be a benefit in crafting good public policy.  I look forward to continuing the conversation on how to improve Iowa’s schools and create better educational opportunities.

Nursing Home Security
The House also recently passed House File 2422, which changes the requirements for nursing homes, residential care facilities and assisted living programs when they have a new resident who is required to register with the state’s sex offender registry. The bill would require these facilities to notify residents, employees and local sheriffs about the new resident.

This bill came as a response to a highly-publicized incident where a northwest Iowa nursing home resident was sexually assaulted by a sex offender who had been released from prison, and subsequently placed in that nursing home as a resident.  The incident exposed the process for housing certain sex offenders after their jail or prison time is complete.

This bill provides for the creation of a safety plan for the facility to protect residents, visitors, and anyone else who could come into contact with the resident. It also calls for a committee to meet to look into options for establishing a new facility of identifying an existing facility to serve sex offenders who need care.  

Another provision of this bill requires facilities to check the names of their current residents against the state’s sex offender registry within three months of the adoption of this bill. If a resident is found to be a threat the facility will work with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Inspections and Appeals to transfer the resident to a state facility.

This is an important piece of legislation that provides a solution to a real problem in Iowa assisted living communities.

Kadyn's Law
On May 10, 2011, Kadyn Halverson was hit and killed while crossing the street to her school bus.

She was only 7 years old when she died. The driver of the car did not stop, even though the school bus had its stop sign out and lights flashing. The driver was caught and he was later convicted of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

Since the accident, Kadyn’s family has worked tirelessly to protect other children and families from experiencing the tragedy they went through.

Gov. Branstad signed SF 2218 Friday at Northwood Elementary School, the school Kadyn Halverson attended. This new legislation focuses on school bus safety and the penalties for breaking these safety laws. The penalties are changed so that a school bus driver who does not operate the bus under current code is guilty of a simple misdemeanor, punishable as a scheduled violation, with a fine of $100.

Drivers who violate the law by failing to slow when passing a bus with flashing lights, or failing to stop when a school bus stop sign is deployed can be charged with a simple misdemeanor. A person who is a second or subsequent offender can be charged with a serious misdemeanor. Penalties are also increased for those who hit and injure or kill someone, while illegally passing a bus.

The bill also creates a study committee. The Department of Transportation, the Department of Education and the Department of Public Safety will study the use of cameras mounted on school buses, the feasibility of requiring children to be picked up and dropped off on the side of the road where their home is located and the possibility of including school bus safety as a priority in drivers training.

West Des Moines Forum
My next legislative forum will be on Saturday, March 24th from 9:30-11:00 at West Des Moines City Hall. I will be joined by Rep. Peter Cownie, Sen. Pat Ward and Polk County Supervisor Bob Brownell.  This is our last scheduled forum for this legislative session. I hope that you can join us!

Contact Me
As always, I look forward to hearing your comments and ideas. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
Rep. Chris Hagenow
State Capitol
East 9th and Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-3221
www.chrishagenow.com
chris.hagenow@legis.state.ia.us