Iowans should vote in school board elections, but for the right reasons

It's not the culture war that really matters

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Next week, Iowans will go to the polls to choose members of their local school boards.

In truth, hardly any Iowans will do this. And not just because they’ve already voted by absentee ballot.

If history holds, only a fraction of eligible voters will vote in the city and school elections.

In Scott County, less than 15% of registered voters cast ballots in 2019. Before the Legislature consolidated city and school elections to a single date, turnout in school board races was even worse.

In my 30-plus years of journalism in the Quad-Cities, I’ve read a lot of — and even written a few — opinion articles urging people to pay attention to these elections. Schools spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars here, and they are responsible for educating our kids.

Yet, the apathy continues.

This can be dangerous. With low turnout, a highly motivated few have an outsized influence.

In Iowa, Republicans in the state legislature are trying to steer education in their direction through funding choices, laws seeking to curb kids’ access to a broad base of learning — and by promoting their like-minded allies to run in local school board races.

Some might see this as a corrective to the influence the teachers’ union has had on school board policy. But what I see in Iowa is that, too often, these candidates are focused on the wrong issues, the ones they see in the media and that are promoted by politicians.

I’d rather support school board candidates who are focused on the things that matter most.

For example:

Retaining and recruiting teachers is a challenge for schools across the country, including in Iowa. A recent survey said that 86% of public-school districts nationwide reported they’d struggled to hire teachers. In Iowa, some districts have offered bonuses to encourage educators not to retire, and in the Des Moines district, an official said earlier this year that it’s getting tougher to lure prospects here because of the state’s political climate.

We also need improve test scores, particularly since Covid; and we need to deal with the achievement gaps that are leaving too many kids behind.

A state board of education report to the Legislature this year on achievement gaps drew special attention to the average test scores of Black and White students and Hispanic and White students in English language arts. From grades 3 to 11, the gaps in those test scores have actually doubled throughout schooling.

It’s not just race, either. People with disabilities and kids from poor families also have been shown to be falling behind their peers.

Then, there is funding. Most tax dollars for school districts go to pay salaries. And, in Iowa, the state’s rank in terms of teacher salaries would barely earn a C grade — at best. The National Education Association’s 2023 review said Iowa’s average teacher salary ranks it 27th in the nation; its average beginning teacher salary ranks the state 36th.

One of the most important duties of a board member is to work to ensure our local schools are adequately funded. That means advocating for them with a state Legislature that has been taking steps to funnel more tax dollars toward private schools, leaving less money for public education, which is where the vast majority of Iowa kids go.

I’d much rather school board candidates focus on these kinds of challenges, rather than the culture wars.

I think that I’m in line with most Americans in this belief, too.

A nationwide Gallup poll this year said that even those Americans who are dissatisfied with K-12 education are more likely to cite poor or outdated curriculum, the quality of education and a lack of teaching in basic subjects rather than the cultural issues.

Only 10% of those who said they aren’t happy with K-12 education in this country cited the belief that political agendas are being taught in schools as the reason. That was practically even with the 9% who are dissatisfied that students weren’t learning life skills and the 8% unhappy because of unequal access or lack of opportunity for low-income students.

Only 4% cited sex education/transgender/gender identity concerns.

In other words, what’s most shouted about in the media isn’t what’s most at issue in our schools.

In Iowa most parents also aren’t worried about the things the Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds are focused on. A Des Moines Register poll published this year said 72% of respondents with kids in public schools said their schools align with their family’s values. But that's not what you hear from the governor. She caters to the minority who aren’t happy.

There are a lot of issues for people to consider when choosing who to support in a school board election. A recent essay in the Register cited some of the considerations that I mentioned, but also added some others. Those include choosing board members who understand the importance of data and of professional development, who work to understand the complexity of school finance and who are willing to deal with the changing demographics of Iowa schools. Twenty years ago, 12% of kids were students of color; now, it’s 27%, according to the state.

This doesn’t even count other issues districts face. Here in the Quad-Cities, Davenport faces a shrinking enrollment base, and absenteeism is a challenge. The Pleasant Valley district faces a growing student population. All districts tend to have facility issues.

Overall, Iowa’s education system faces big challenges, and local school boards are an important part of finding solutions. More of us should take part in choosing who our representatives on these boards will be. And when we make those choices, we should focus on what matters the most — not just what the politicians and their allies are shouting about.

Along the Mississippi is a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Please check out the work of my colleagues and consider subscribing to their work.

Nicole Baart, This Stays Here, Sioux Center

Ray Young Bear, From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement

Laura Belin, Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Stephanie Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston

Art Cullen, Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny

Nik Heftman, The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

LettersfromIowans, Iowa

Tar Macias, Hola Iowa, Iowa

Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Lake City

Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities

Kurt Meyer, Showing Up

Wini Moranville, Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines

Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids

Kyle Munson: Kyle’s Main Street, Iowa

Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton, My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.

Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Urbandale 

Macey Spensley: The Midwest Creative

Larry Stone, Listening to the Land, Elkader

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices

Cheryl Tevis, Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

Also, please read the work of our alliance partner, Iowa Capital Dispatch. It provides hard-hitting news along with selected commentary by members of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.