📚✊ Students, staff & community members came together on International Workers Day to support public education—because every child deserves a strong future, built on well-funded public schools. 💪🇺🇸 #IWD2025 #SupportPublicEd #BettPride
Together, we must act urgently to protect our students, families, and communities. We cannot afford to stand idly by as threats to dismantle the Department of Education and steal opportunities from our communities are made.
The Department of Education is not a bureaucratic abstraction but a lifeline to schools in Iowa and across the country. Here’s some information to show the significance of the Department of Education.
- $800 million is provided by the Department of Education to support all 325 school districts across the state, ensuring that every child, regardless of background or ability, has access to an education that unlocks their potential.
- 90% of all students, and 95% of students with disabilities rely on our public schools. Federal funding provides essential support, enabling special education students to receive specialized services, such as individualized instruction, therapy, and accommodations–costs that typically exceed what a local school district can afford. Services that are required by public schools, but not required by non-public schools.
The US Department of Education has seen a downward trend in spending over the past 10 years, even though it only makes up 5.5% of the total spending budget.
Governor Reynolds has proposed only a 2% increase in public education spending, with a 44% increase in voucher school spending. Decreasing spending for public education while also not requiring the same standards for voucher schools as our state does for public schools, is not only not equitable, it’s hurting students in public schools and the communities they serve.
Public Schools must provide special education services to all students enrolled, Voucher Schools do not.
Public Schools can not charge tuition on top of the funds received from the State and Federal government, Voucher Schools are not only charging tuition, but increasing it.
The proposed cuts are not just a threat but a looming disaster that will not only affect our rural and smaller schools, but also right here in Bettendorf. Our local schools know what we need to succeed, and this information drives the US Department of Education’s support.
We CAN NOT allow this to happen. But we are not powerless. We must stand together, united in our resolve, to protect our public schools, defend our students, and secure a brighter future for all. Acto Now! Contact your Member of Congress and let them know how vital these programs are to the health and well-being of our children at home.
Trent Teske
Bettendorf Education Association