Once again we will excerpt from State Senator Courtney’s weekly newsletter:

SENATE VOTES TO REVERSE IOWA’S SLIDE IN SCHOOL INVESTMENT
Iowa’s future depends on high-quality local schools. Our best hope for expanding Iowa’s middle class is investing the necessary resources in our students and educators.

That’s why I voted this week to reverse the trend that has dropped Iowa to 35th in the nation when it comes to how much we invest in each student. There is no excuse for Iowa to be 35th in per student investment when Iowa’s economy is in the top half. The amount we invest in each Iowa student should at least be at the national average.

We can’t reach that goal in two years, but boosting school funding by 4 percent in each of the next two years would reverse Iowa’s slide downwards and start us moving in the right direction. The Senate-approved plan focuses on paying for the basics, including purchasing up-to-date textbooks, reducing class sizes, keeping the lights on, gassing up the buses and strengthening teacher quality.

The Senate vote follows an earlier vote in the Republican-controlled Iowa House for a meager 1.25 percent increase. Iowa school superintendents have warned that such a small increase would fail to keep up with costs, resulting in teacher layoffs, crowded classrooms, fewer classes and outdated materials.

As Iowa’s financial support for students relative to other states has fallen, so has our academic progress compared to other states. Our schools have held steady, but other states are investing more and scoring higher as a result.

IOWA INVESTS IN TEACHER LEADERS
Iowa has become the first state to create a teacher leadership system designed to boost student achievement, increase teaching expertise and raise the status of the teaching profession.

Teachers taking on leadership roles to improve classroom instruction and raise student achievement was a key piece of the Legislature’s 2013 Education Reform. This new effort allows teachers to work in collaboration with colleagues and learn from each other instead of operating in isolation in their classrooms.

The overriding philosophy of the system is that to improve student learning, you must improve the instruction students receive each day. There is no better way to do this than to empower our best teachers to lead the effort. The system rewards effective teachers with leadership opportunities and higher pay, attracts promising new teachers with competitive starting salaries, and fosters greater collaboration for all teachers to learn from each other.

Teacher leadership systems are being phased in over three years, with the goal of all Iowa school districts participating on a voluntary basis by 2016-17. The Iowa Legislature approved $50 million for the first year of implementation. The second year will see a $100 million investment and $150 million for the third year, enabling all districts to participate if they choose. The funding will become part of the school aid formula that determines how much state money schools receive each year.

During a recent update on the teacher leader system, legislators learned that schools don’t want to trade increased investments in teacher leadership for basic school aid. The teacher leadership program will help make the classroom experience the best it can be, but it must have a strong school foundation to build upon.

One Iowa district would have to make about $300,000 in cuts under the House bill to increase school funding by only 1.25 percent. That would significantly diminish the impact of the $340,000 they’ll receive in teacher leader grants.

GIVING IOWA BUSINESSES FIRST CRACK AT STATE CONTRACTS
Do our state agencies need to buy digital cameras from a Massachusetts company? Why would state government purchase bread and bakery products from Missouri? Why did the state hire a New York company to help market and promote Iowa to tourists?

What if we gave Iowa businesses that employ Iowans, pay local property taxes and produce Iowa products a chance at state bids while still getting the lowest bid for Iowa taxpayers?

Senate File 1, known as the Iowa First initiative, can help by giving Iowa businesses priority in competing for state contracts. The bill will allow Iowa companies seeking to sell products and services to the state the chance to match competing out-of-state bids if the projects are under $500,000 and the Iowa firm is within 5 percent or $10,000 of the lowest bidder.

Iowa businesses need opportunities to grow and expand if our economy is going to thrive. First and foremost, our businesses need customers for their goods and services.

AGING POPULATION NEEDS ACCESS TO DEMENTIA CARE
Iowa, like the rest of the nation, is aging.

As of 2010, Iowa ranked seventh in the nation — behind such states as Florida — for the percentage of our state’s population that is 60 or older. Iowa ranks third for the share of our population aged 85 or older. Between 2000 and 2010, the share of Iowa’s older residents increased from 18.9 percent to 20.4 percent. (The federal Older Americans Act defines older individuals as those aged 60 and over.)

With Iowans living longer than ever, we face both opportunities and challenges.

One challenge is an increase in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 62,000 Iowans have Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, and that dementia is the fifth largest cause of death in Iowa. Seventy percent of Iowans with dementia live at home and approximately 133,000 unpaid caregivers assist them.

Representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association – Greater Iowa Chapter, the Iowa Department on Aging and the Northeast Iowa Agency on Aging recently told legislators about their work to ensure our loved ones have access to dementia services at home and in our local communities. A new federally funded initiative to study and reform the aging services network may be a big help to those who wish to remain independent and safe in their communities by providing access to the full array of dementia services.

To learn more about this work and other aspects of dementia, including the 10 warning signs of dementia, go to www.alz.org/greateriowa.

COURTS FOCUS ON GIVING KIDS A BRIGHT FUTURE
Recently, staff from the Judicial Branch told legislators that their number one priority is the protection of Iowa’s children.

The Legislature has helped them pursue that priority and make communities safer. Through funding approved by the Legislature, “juvenile court officers have the time to give troubled children the specialized services they need while holding them responsible for their actions.”

In addition, funding from the Legislature has expanded Iowa’s successful Family Treatments Courts, which address substance abuse issues of parents who are at risk of losing their children. Court staff hold parents accountable for their behavior and help them learn good parenting skills.

Parents and caregivers involved in the Family Treatment Courts are more like to keep their children at home and out of the child welfare system.

Court statistics indicate that of 1,099 children whose parents or caregivers were involved in the Family Treatment Courts, 76 percent were able to remain at home. The vast majority — 95 percent of the children — did not suffer a recurrence of mistreatment.

BECOME AN ACTIVE VOICE IN STATE GOVERNMENT
Iowa’s statewide boards and commissions are responsible for advising the Governor, Legislature and state agencies. We are always looking for qualified applicants who are willing to be a strong voice in state government.

The Governor appoints members to more than 160 boards and commissions as openings become available. If you find a position you are interested in at http://openup.iowa.gov, sign up and fill out an online application for consideration.

State law requires most boards and commissions be balanced according to gender and political affiliation. Geographical location and diversity is also considered. Appointments are made to most boards and commissions annually. All applications are kept on file as public information.