Meeting Public Comments

Anastasia Bender

Opposed. Dissolving the Department of Education will not help our kids in any way and will only worsen the brain drain being experienced in the state.

Jennifer Proctor

Opposed.Two years ago, when the AEA bill was debated one of the rationales was concern for special education students. If a family and district disagree on an IEP it is elevated to the state for due process. However, if the parties cannot agree, the US Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that individuals with disabilities are given equal access to a free and appropriate education. This is just one example, there are many others.

Diane Holst

Support this bill. Amendment X, The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Iowa, and the rest of the States, send our tax dollars to the federal government and get only a portion of what we send returned. What we do receive is in abundance are rules and regulations. One size does not fit all. The U.S. Dept of Education originated in 1980. In the 90s Iowa was ranked in the top 5 and we have declined since. These are our children and our future. Return this power to the state.

Pam Gronau

I 100% support this! Thank you for bringing this forward!

Courtney Collier

SJR 2008We need this bill. Iowa needs to take back education at the state level and to remove it fully from the bureaucracy at the federal level and the state level. We must get the teachers unions out of control of education. People complain about the state of education today and foolishly blame it on money. There is boatload of money being dumped into education and the outcomes continue to decrease. Why? Because education has been politicized at the state and federal level through the teachers unions. Iowa would be wise to create their own learning standards and go back to a classical model for those.We need to remove the stranglehold that politics has on education. Truly return to the BASICS of math, reading, writing, spelling, science and history. We also must get BIG TECH out of schools. Our children deserve to have an academically rigorous education instead of the current social engineering taking place in education. We can and should do much better.

Sandy Wilson [Citizen Engagement]

Citizen Engagement declares IN FAVOR of SJR 2008. Please move the resolution.

Lindsay Maher

Absolutely yes! The state has the responsibility to maintain a check on the federal government and their abuse of the power awarded them in the constitution. The federal government has no jurisdiction or authority in education and as such should be disbanded, defunded, and all laws repealed referencing the federal dept of education.

Laura Brunsen

I am against SJR 2008 because it does not state that our state auditor will have oversight on Iowa Tax dollars being funneled to private/charter schools. It also does not state that Iowa schools would continue to equally provide education for all students even those with intellectual or physical disabilities.

Stacy Volmer

I strongly oppose Senate Joint Resolution 2008. Eliminating the United States Department of Education would not empower states, it would strip critical protections and funding from millions of students.The Department enforces civil rights laws that protect students with disabilities, lowincome children, and those facing discrimination. It provides essential funding for special education, Title I schools, and rural districts. Without federal oversight and support, inequities between states will grow and vulnerable students will suffer.Education is a public good, not a political experiment. Iowas children deserve stability, accountability, and equal opportunity, not ideological efforts that weaken their future.Reject SJR 2008.