House Journal: Page 202: Thursday, January 28, 1999

As we attempt to make our students first in the nation in education, we must 

continue our commitment to technology by making permanent our current investment 
of 30 million dollars per year, and enable its use not only for hardware and software 
purchases, but also staff development.  Our goal is to keep Iowa students on the cutting 
edge of technology.
I applaud the members of the General Assembly in addressing the critical issue of 
school funding early in the session. Together we will improve our commitment to local 
schools by increasing allowable growth, by providing state-funded budget guarantees 
for those schools struggling with declining enrollments and by providing accelerated 
funding for schools that have to cope with rapidly rising student numbers.  Our goal 
should always be to adequately fund schools with each student being treated fairly and 
equitably.
At the same time, we must support our educators in their fight to make Iowa 
schools drug and violence free.  We will take the first steps of intervention at the first 
signs of trouble in junior high and middle schools.  So we need to expand the successful 
program of juvenile court liaisons by adding 76 new schools to the 107 schools that 
currently exist to aid our at-risk student population and to return discipline to the 
classroom and to the hallways of each and every school in this state.  Our goal is to 
provide a safer, better learning environment in which all of our students can learn well 
without fear or intimidation.
Lorenzo Luis Sandoval left college early in the 1970's. He served the Hispanic 
migrant workers of Iowa for over 20 years and earned the League of United Latin 
American Citizens Iowa Man of the Year award.  With the aid of an Iowa Tuition 
Grant, he fulfilled his lifetime dream of graduating from Grand View College in 1992. 
He later received his Master of Fine Arts from the prestigious University of Iowa 
Playwrights Workshop last year.  Dramatic Publishing calls Lorenzo "the exciting new 
Latino voice in America today."  Ladies and gentlemen of the assembly, please say 
hello to another Iowan - Lorenzo Luis Sandoval.
I understand what it means to be close to your dream but to have concerns about 
whether there will be finances to make it become a reality. Twenty-five years ago this 
year, I spoke with my father for the last time on the phone. I called him to tell him that 
I had been admitted to law school. In a tired and weary voice he said to me, "That's 
great. I don't know where the money will come from but we'll find it some place." 
Several days after that call he passed away. The money came from a variety of 
government loans, programs, and my own work. I understand the struggle of many in 
this state today are going through to try to realize their educational dreams.
 We need to make higher education more affordable and accessible. To do so, we 
need to look at a package of increased funding measures. We need to increase funding 
for the State of Iowa Scholarship program; we need to continue to increase funding for 
the Iowa Tuition Grant program; we need to support vocational and technical tuition 
grants; we need to send a message to those who serve in the National Guard that we 
care about them by extending educational opportunities to them as well. For those 
community college students who are here today, we need to keep the faith with their 
dream by fully funding the community college formula and continue our strong and 
traditional support for the Regents Universities.  Our collective goal should be that no 
one wishing a higher education will ever be denied that opportunity in our state simply 
for lack of money.

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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Last update: Thu Jul 15 13:40:03 CDT 1999
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