Meeting Public Comments

Megan Hunemuller []

I am in support of SF 2004. Dyslexics in Iowa are at a huge disadvantage, as are our educators, at no fault of their own. Our higher ed schools have dropped the ball when it comes to educating our upcoming teachers about dyslexia. When students graduate from college and are ready to take on a role in educating our students, they should not only understand what dyslexia and how it affects students, but they also should be able to recognize the signs and be prepared to help accommodate these students. Dyslexia effects 1 in 5, the more educators we can get through this Dyslexia Specialist endorsement, the better!! As with everything, cost is a huge factor and I hate that it holds some of our best educators back from being able to further their education while helping all Iowa students succeed. Please consider passing this bill.

Casey Condon-Yu []

I support SF 2004. Financial burden should not prevent teachers from educating themselves about dyslexia, and learning about appropriate instructional methodology. I believe one of the best ways to create successful students is to invest in teachers.

Kara Veach [GPAEA]

I cannot express enough how absolutely needed the Dyslexia Specialist endorsement program is in the state of Iowa. As a proud holder of this endorsement and a member of cohort one from the U of I, I am now equipped to teach students diagnosed with dyslexia and those with the characteristics of dyslexia. On almost a daily basis, I am able to use the knowledge acquired through the dyslexia specialist endorsement program as I model instruction for teachers and also design instruction for students that I tutor. Most school districts have programs (curricula) that they have previously purchased. These programs may need more robust instructional strategies/routines to successfully support dyslexic students. I am trained to "beef up" these programs to support all students including those with dyslexia. Again, this knowledge and deep understanding of dyslexia and the science of reading was, largely in part, acquired through this endorsement program.The scope of this work is HUGE! We need more teachers and consultants trained through the Dyslexia Specialist endorsement programs available in Iowa. To make this more accessible for teachers and consultants, a grant is so very needed. Please vote yes to this bill. Iowa's students are so worth the expense!

Dottie Condon []

I support this bill immensely. Family members old and young would have/will benefit from this bill

Katie Duda []

I 100,000% support this bill. Continuing education to help teachers, help more students become successful, confident humans is a no brainer. Dyslexia runs in my family and many of us older family members wish we had the tools that my younger family members have sought out. Problem is that I see how hard they have fought for accommodations and continuously fight to have them met by their teacher who still think dyslexia shouldnt require the teacher to put in any effort to accommodate their students needs.

Jacqueline Shinn [Parent of a dyslexic 5th grader]

I support SF 2004 and know the benefits would be widespread with this funding. As a parent of a dyslexic child, I have had to fight and advocate to get teachers with specific dyslexia training to be the one working with my child and not always successfully. The advanced dyslexia endorsement funding would benefit all students but especially those who do need it. It took us a lot of private tutoring costing us personally tens of thousands of dollars which most families cannot do to make up the progress that did not occur with teachers who were not trained. My son is severely dyslexic and we could have caught it sooner and got him help to prevent him falling so far behind if more teachers had the training. While not all children are dyslexic, the training these teachers would receive with this funding, will end up improving all childrens education with the methods they learn and can share with gen ed teachers. I personally feel this endorsement (and the funding of it) would make a bigger impact than anything else you could fund at this time. If a child can read, their knowledge potential is unlimited! My son could not read without working with those who have this endorsement.

Randy Califf [Board Member - Decoding Dyslexia Iowa and parent of a dyslexic child]

I am in favor of this bill because the Dyslexia Specialist endorsement is a key element to supporting an environment that best equips our teachers to help all children reach their reading potential. This endorsement trains teachers in the science of reading, which is a gold standard all children, including both those with and without dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Further, the Dyslexia Specialist endorsement was created as direct outcome and recommendation of the Dyslexia Task Force which was created by the 2019 Legislature. Our organization has received feedback from teachers that the training is outstanding. Teachers should not have to invest their own money in receiving this essential training. This funding can have a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of Iowa students every year.

Kelly Condon []

I support this bill. We lean on our teachers to educate our children to the best of their ability & we should be supporting them. If our teachers have the opportunity to gain more education to help our students succeed, we should find a way to keep the financial obstacles out of the way. Education/school is a childs full time job. We want them to enjoy it & be successful at it. Teachers with continued education of dyslexia would give them the tools to help students excel. I have seen first hand the hurdles one has with dyslexia. I have also seen first hand the success one has as well given the proper tools. Helping teachers helps our students. One teacher touches the minds of countless students. The more teachers that have the opportunity to educate themselves about dyslexia means more students that gain the assistance & education they deserve. Again, I support this bill!

Kristine Hill []

I am currently enrolled in the dyslexia specialist endorsement program at Grand View University and a 30year veteran teacher in our public school system. The students in our state, whether in public or private schools, need more teachers with this endorsement. Dyslexic students need more advocates and teachers who have knowledge about how they process. This endorsement provides a way for this to happen. These students are smart and creative. They will be and are great contributors to our society. They need people in the trenches with them to help them process school and learn to adapt to their future.My son was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in 6th grade. Prior to that, he had teachers tell us he would outgrow his reading issues. He was given adaptations that do not work for dyslexic students. This is not the fault of the teachers because you don't know what you don't know. If we have more teachers that do know in our state, then the other teachers in the districts have a resource to turn to. This scholarship helps make sure that more people get the endorsement. I can tell you that I wanted to get my master's degree and other endorsements sooner in my career. However, my family could not afford it. I know there are young teachers in my district who would like to pursue the endorsement, but they cannot due to the financial burden that it would create. Please consider passing this bill to allow some aid to our teachers. Many teachers cannot use school money for this as the schools use that money to provide professional development for the district. There are conferences for staff to attend, curriculum training, and other professional development that costs a great deal of money. This bill would give a boost towards having more teachers with knowledge about dyslexia in our state. Please give this bill serious consideration.

Jenny Corkrean []

I support SF2004 as a parent of a severely dyslexic 6th grader. Schools need to be equipped to support basic learning for those with dyslexia. Schools are currently not able to provide the instruction needed for our dyslexic children to succeed. Reading, writing and spelling are basic rights for a person to be successful in life. Proper instruction is a privilege (time, access to trained instructors and money) of those (parents) able to identify that more is needed beyond what is being provided with the current instruction methods. I cant help thinking how much further our child would be if schools and private tutoring were both providing the systematic, explicit, multi sensory, highly structured instruction methods required to be successful from the beginning. I fully support providing scholarships to get more of these qualified instructors in the public school system and available to provide much needed specialized instruction for dyslexic students to be successful in life.

Dawn Philbin [True Potential Education,LLC]

I support all of the dyslexia bills. So many families need help with getting their child help with dyslexia researched methodologies to increase their childs skill set and reading writing and spelling. Dyslexia impacts all academic areas and areas outside of school as well. if targeted early, so many social emotional, and society issues can be improved in order to benefit overall communities long term in positive ways.

Jama Johnson []

I am writing in support of this bill. As a member of the first cohort for the U of I Dyslexia Endorsement, the knowledge I gained from this degree drastically changed how I instructed students as a Title I reading teacher. This is knowledge that teachers are not getting through their coursework or professional development and is necessary for struggling readers, especially those with dyslexia. Easing the barrier of cost could allow for more teachers to receive this training and impact many more students. This learning has also helped me move from classroom teacher to AEA literacy consultant and dyslexia specialist. I can now help students and teachers in my region in ways that wouldn't have been done in the past. Please support the teachers who can benefit from this learning experience and consider how many more students could be impacted.

Elizabeth Hoksbergen [Apples of Gold Center for Learning]

I am a former teacher and principal; currently, I serve as the Director of Assessment and Learning for Apples of Gold. I have an advanced degree as an Educational Psychologist and I am a Dyslexia Therapist. I am also a Wilson Credentialed Trainer and travel across Iowa to provide formal training in the Wilson Reading System(a goldstandard, comprehensive structured literacy/OrtonGillingham program that works even for children with profound dyslexia) for school districts. I have served children, parents, educators, and school districts as it relates to the science of reading, the etiology and neurobiology of dyslexia, and effective intervention and accommodations for dyslexia for over two decades. I served as an appointed member of the Dyslexia Task force and recommended that a professional development continuum be developed for all educators and administrators in our state. Recently, I had the privilege to design coursework for the Dyslexia Endorsement offered through Grand View University; additionally, I had the unique opportunity to teach three of the endorsement courses. Finally, my PhD dissertation involves a study that investigates the power of high fidelity structured literacy to improve literacy skills while simultaneously changing the brain's cognitivelinguistic function. This, in turn, literally resets the child's trajectory for literacy, learning, and life. I share this background as context for what follows. We must turn the tide in Iowa for all children; to do this comprehensive implementation of structured literacy across all tiers (I, II, and II)is absolutely essential. For two decades, at Apples of Gold, we have had the marvelous opportunity to help countless children who have been on IEPs for reading for many years learn to read, spell, write, and comprehend; many have been able to exit their IEPs. So, what does this have to do with scholarship funding for the Dyslexia Endorsement? We must galvanize a large number of educators and administrations with highlevel knowledge of the science of dyslexia; this will empower them to lead (the Latin root "duc" in educate means "to lead") charge in bringing deep and lasting change to the educational landscape of our great state. Those who complete the Dyslexia Endorsement will be equipped to provide and oversee highquality intervention for those with dyslexia, and they will have the knowledge to help facilitate instructional change for all readers. Structured Literacy is founded on thousands of empirical, replicated scientific studies (spanning numerous fields, including linguistics, neuropsychology, education, and cognitive science); we call this corpus of replicated scientific literature "The Science of Reading". Contrary to what I heard one of the legislators say regarding the SSB 3069 bill, the Science of Reading is NOT a specific program; that is a misunderstanding of some who do not work in the field. There are now multiple structured literacy programs (with 23 now accredited by the International Dyslexia Association) that are ALL rooted in the Science of Reading. To expedite the turning of the tide in our state for those with dyslexia and to change the learning trajectory for all learners, one of the most efficient, deeply effective ways to bring true, systemic change is to fund Dyslexia Scholarships for those who will be pursuing the Dyslexia Endorsement. Although as a Republican, I may see some types of funding differently than others, this is money we can not afford to wait to approve. Thank you, Elizabeth Hoksbergen