As usual, Iowa’s Republicans cut the heart out of Iowa’s public schools. 

3 minutes: 

Former President Biden famously said: 

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value!”  

Based on proposals by Republicans in the Iowa State Senate, they do not have much value for Iowa’s public school students and by extension Iowa’s teachers or communities. Iowa’s republicans have once again offered a well-below inflation increase for Iowa’s schools. Thus, once again they show their disdain for Iowa’s kids.  

As a long term strategy, underfunding Iowa’s schools is just plain dumb. Whether a state is trying to lure families with young children or if a state is trying to keep the best and the brightest in the state, cutting public school funding sends a clear signal that young people are not valued in Iowa. 

Like many, when I was younger I was always proud to say I was from Iowa. It meant that we were well educated.  We stayed in Iowa and our kids were educated here. We knew they would get a good education simply because it was what Iowa valued. We can no longer say that. When young folks are looking for a permanent home, Iowa’s low wages, and low public school rankings set people to look elsewhere. It will not be easy to lure such folks back to Iowa.  

Rather than giving big tax cuts to the wealthy and paying for the private school educations of Iowa’s wealthy families, it is well past time for the Iowa legislature to truly reassess their values. It is time to step back and realize that investing in public education is an investment that more that pays for itself. We don’t want to be Mississippi. 

State Senator Herm Quimbach of Ames had this statement on the Republicans paltry 1.75% proposed raise in public school funding: 

 Republican lawmakers again propose to starve Iowa’s public schools 

State Senator Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) has released the following statement regarding Senate Republicans’ school funding proposal. 

“The public school funding number proposed today by Senate Republicans shows that public education is no longer their priority in Iowa,” Sen. Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) said. 

“Like Iowa families, the public schools that educate over 90% of our kids face an affordability crisis,” Quirmbach continued. “Schools can’t afford enough teachers, so class sizes grow and students lose individual attention. Many can’t afford cost-of-living increases to retain experienced personnel. Some districts can’t even interview the best qualified teachers because they just can’t afford them.” 

“STEM teachers aren’t replaced. Online instruction is substituted for in-person when schools can’t afford a full-time language teacher.” 

“Funding that supported beloved programs and educators is evaporating,” Sen. Quirmbach said. “In Boone, the district has to terminate the school orchestra that has given the community great pride for 100 years. And, they have to cut eight full-time positions beyond that.” 

“Legislative Republicans’ severe underfunding of our public schools isn’t new. Ever since Kim Reynolds became governor, Republican funding has fallen farther and farther behind inflation. The shortfall this year alone amounts to over $1,000 per student. More than half a billion total statewide. If we hope for a future where Iowans can compete on the world stage,” Sen Quirmbach said, “our students and our schools need and deserve better.” 

Sen. Quirmbach is the Ranking Member of the Senate Education Committee. 

In her analysis for Common Good Iowa, Anne Discher is very insightful: 

Senate committee advances inadequate school funding proposal — again 

Posted on February 5, 2026 at 9:44 AM by Anne Discher 

 Fitting for Groundhog’s Day week, a Senate committee advanced a bill yesterday that would do the same thing the Legislature did last year, and the year before that: slowly starve our schools. The legislation they approved falls far below what’s needed to keep up with rising costs and meet the needs of Iowa students.  

The bill, would set Supplemental State Aid — the rate of increase in general per-pupil funding from the previous year — at 1.75%. The Governor beats that figure, but barely, proposing a paltry 2% SSA increase in her budget. 

We have yet to see an SSA proposal from the House, but given the state’s estimated $1.3 billion budget shortfall and lawmakers’ drive for local property-tax cuts, there’s no reason to expect it to be substantially better than that of the Senate and Governor.  

Budgets are one way we demonstrate our aspirations as a state. The chart below shows how school funding has failed to meet the needs of our children and how proposals from the Senate and Governor would extend the downward trend line another year. 

One thing we must remind ourselves is that dis respect for our public schools and underfunding them year after year is not something that can’t be fixed. It can – with your vote this fall! BTW, if I forgot to mention it Iowa’s Republicans have spent over $1 billion on school vouchers in the past four years. That could have paid for big improvements in Iowa’s schools!