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ISSUES & FORUMS
Education Issues:
In order of priority, the current projects of interest are as follows:
engaging diverse stakeholders, ensuring a progressive presence in School Board elections, strengthening the quality of education, creating a community of practice for teachers, leveraging adequate funding, reframing No Child Left Behind in a more positive way, ensuring access to excellent early childhood education, making our schools safe, fighting against censorship, etc.
Not only are the issues diverse and compelling, but the active membership of the committee also spans a huge range including both sides of the river, home schoolers, representatives from public and private systems, politicians, union reps, and educators from pre-kindergarten to higher education. Contact Jim or Maureen Schebler at fimmer@aol.com or call 563-324-2330.
Past Activities and Agendas:
Agenda items as follows:
1. Darry: Creating a web site for diverse educational stakeholders
2. Gina: Report on the Leap of Learning
3. Sheila and Laura: Report on PACG- Summit Meeting Notes from the September 20 Conversation at the Regional Office
Present:
Sheila Burns, Sue Vize, Gina Hinrichs, Sheila Guse and Darry Kannenberg
Notes:
Gina and Sheila described the Leap of Learning scheduled at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL on Oct 28 & 29th. This is a strength-based whole systems change summit for students, teachers, parents and diverse stakeholders in the education systems. Folks from farthest away are the first to register. There will be a team from Australia and the UK and one from Wisconsin. This event is cosponsored by BP. McDonalds, Benedictine, and others.
Darry bought a template for the web based newspaper. He walked the group through the different stakeholder groups who would have access to current articles, resources, networking possibilities.
The group made a commitment to bring a leap of learning to the Quad Cities in 2007.
MEMBER ADVOCACY DEFEATS IPERS AMENDMENT!
Responding to intense pressure from ISEA members across the state, the Iowa Senate defeated an amendment which would have created a two-tiered retirement system and cut benefits for current and future retirees. Sen. Mary Lundby of Marion broke ranks with her Republican colleagues and joined the Democrats in defeating the measure by a vote of 26-24.
But the future is uncertain for HF 729, the house-passed bill designed to protect the actuarial soundness of the IPERS program over time. That's because Senate Republican leader Stew Iverson exercised his right, under new rules adopted in the evenly divided chamber, to defer action on the measure.
HF 729, which has already been approved by the House on a bipartisan vote of 94-5, raises the IPERS contribution rate by 0.5 percent each year for the next eight years and maintains the current 60 percent/40 percent funding split has been approved by the House. ISEA members should contact Senate Republicans and urge them to convince Sen. Iverson to allow a full and open debate on the bill this session.