Miner Queries: Education budgets: did we shoot our eye out?

 One of my all-time favorite movies is “A Christmas Story.” And, one of my favorite scenes from the movie is Ralphie’s encounter with the department store Santa Claus.

As he sits on Santa’s lap after waiting in line, Ralphie experiences a deer-in-the-headlights moment, forgetting his burning desire for a Red Ryder B.B. gun. Tongue-tied, Ralphie nods his head when Santa suggests he’d like a football. 

Waking from his reverie as he’s stuffed down the slide from Santa’s lap, Raphie suddenly stops himself and climbs back up to tell Santa his real Christmas wish. To which Santa promptly replies, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” Then he plants his boot on Ralphie’s forehead and shoves him back down the slide. 

It’s that boot in the forehead that reminds of American voters. Like Ralphie, we sit transfixed by our media and political celebrities and accept whatever message they feed us. Then when we begin to stir, we get the boot in the forehead. “We can’t do that! Our economy’s too weak.”

Sound familiar? That’s the message our governor and Statehouse Republicans have been trotting out all year with regard to Iowa’s school funding. Across Iowa, school districts have been pink slipping school employees, cutting programs and gutting budgets because the legislature, specifically Republicans, have refused to set adequate funding for schools. 

Republican legislators sow fear of revenue estimates, citing lower projections to justify underfunding schools for the next two years. Trouble is, these estimates have been adjusted upward since the beginning of the legislative session. 

Republicans also blame teachers and school employees for taking up 80% of school budgets. But reality (and the oldest of educational research) demonstrates education happens because of relationships. That’s school teachers and aides.  Textbooks and technology don’t teach.

Make no mistake. This is Iowa’s version of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s assault on unions. To break the teacher’s and government employees’ unions, Republicans are holding up school funding. And who will benefit? Not children or local school districts, whose largest employer is often the school.

I guess our kids, grandkids and communities are just collateral damage. 

Like Ralphie, Iowans have been mesmerized by the shiny celebrity of our multi-term governor. And as he’s pushed school choice with support for home schooling, private and online schools, we’ve nodded our heads without realizing part of that means strangling local communities by defunding their schools.

Branstad has been working on this death by a thousand cuts since 1992. From a National Center for Education Statistics report on Iowa’s school financing:  “One of the most significant revisions in the funding for school districts was the determination of the growth of state aid and budgets. Whereas prior to 1992–93 these amounts were determined by the increase in state revenues and inflation, they are now determined on an annual basis through the political process.” 

 It’s our boot to the forehead. 

Will we come out of our stupor in time to save our local schools and communities? Or will we keep supporting politicians willing to defund our schools and sell our kids’ education to the highest bidder?

Cherie Miner is a local parent, community volunteer, freelance writer and artist. In a former life, she was a corporate writer and public relations professional. Contact her at news@redoakexpress.com or on Facebook.