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Ames residents deliver 590-signature petition urging state funding boost, phaseout of private-school vouchers
Summary
A group of Ames residents presented a 590-signature petition to the Ames Community School District Board of Education asking the board to urge state leaders to increase public-school funding and phase out educational savings accounts (ESAs).
A group of Ames residents presented a 590-signature petition to the Ames Community School District Board of Education on Monday asking the board to urge the governor and state legislature to increase school funding and roll back publicly funded private-school voucher programs.
The petition, assembled by Public Schools Strong and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, asks the governor and legislature to “fully fund public schools by an annual 5% increase of state supplemental aid adjusted for inflation, restore the income cap pre-ESAs, phase out the ESA voucher program over 5 years, and use public funds for public schools only,” a petition presenter said.
Why it matters: Petitioners said the state’s funding shortfall has reduced services and materials in public schools and that ESAs divert taxpayer dollars to private providers without the same transparency and accountability public schools face.
Speakers at the board’s public forum urged the board to adopt a formal resolution…
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