Culver outlines education policy in Sioux City
with audio
By Dolly A. Butz Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, August 04, 2006
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver outlined his education proposals, including raising teacher pay, during a Sioux City visit Thursday.
A former teacher, Culver proposed three steps he said will renew Iowa's commitment to education.
"I have experienced first hand the immediacy of the challenges teachers in Iowa face, so when I talk about the importance of investing in education, it's not just lip service," Culver said. "I've been there in the trenches and I know what it means to give a student a chance to take charge of his or her future and fulfill his or her God-given potential."
Before being elected Secretary of State, Culver taught history and government at Hoover High School in Des Moines.
Culver said during a stop at Wilbur Aalfs Library that the state faces "real challenges" when it comes to education. He cited low teacher salaries, building and maintenance needs in older schools and recruitment and teacher retention as critical issues.
If elected governor Culver said he would take the following steps to improve and build on Iowa's strengths in education:
-- He would implement an accredited early child education program in every school district, making preschool an option for every Iowa family.
"I believe it's an investment that we can't afford not to make," he said. "Studies show that every dollar spent on early childhood education creates an average of $2.62 in benefits. We know that 90 percent of brain development occurs before the age of six."
-- He would stop the brain drain among Iowa educators by allocating a minimum of $15 million in targeted salary bonuses, support and benefits, and use targeted loan forgiveness and support for mortgage forgiveness programs to help Iowa teachers purchase homes in the state.
"These kinds of investments are a must if Iowa is to keep other states from luring away our best and brightest teachers," he said.
Iowa currently ranks 41st in the nation in teacher pay. Culver said if elected he would immediately commit an additional $20 million to supplement the planned increase of approximately $105 million for teacher salaries to help recruit new teachers and retain experienced teachers.
"We will push Iowa teacher salary to at least the national average and no lesser goal is acceptable," he said.
Culver drew sharp contrasts between his record on education and his opponent's, Republican Jim Nussle. Culver said Nussle, who voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, "left schools and teachers in a very precarious place" by voting five times to cut funding for No Child Left Behind.
"There is a clear choice for governor this fall," he said. "It's a choice between Iowa values and Iowa classroom experience vs. Washington, D.C. values and Washington bureaucratic rules and the choice could not be more clear."
A former teacher, Culver proposed three steps he said will renew Iowa's commitment to education.
"I have experienced first hand the immediacy of the challenges teachers in Iowa face, so when I talk about the importance of investing in education, it's not just lip service," Culver said. "I've been there in the trenches and I know what it means to give a student a chance to take charge of his or her future and fulfill his or her God-given potential."
Before being elected Secretary of State, Culver taught history and government at Hoover High School in Des Moines.
Culver said during a stop at Wilbur Aalfs Library that the state faces "real challenges" when it comes to education. He cited low teacher salaries, building and maintenance needs in older schools and recruitment and teacher retention as critical issues.
If elected governor Culver said he would take the following steps to improve and build on Iowa's strengths in education:
-- He would implement an accredited early child education program in every school district, making preschool an option for every Iowa family.
"I believe it's an investment that we can't afford not to make," he said. "Studies show that every dollar spent on early childhood education creates an average of $2.62 in benefits. We know that 90 percent of brain development occurs before the age of six."
-- He would stop the brain drain among Iowa educators by allocating a minimum of $15 million in targeted salary bonuses, support and benefits, and use targeted loan forgiveness and support for mortgage forgiveness programs to help Iowa teachers purchase homes in the state.
"These kinds of investments are a must if Iowa is to keep other states from luring away our best and brightest teachers," he said.
Iowa currently ranks 41st in the nation in teacher pay. Culver said if elected he would immediately commit an additional $20 million to supplement the planned increase of approximately $105 million for teacher salaries to help recruit new teachers and retain experienced teachers.
"We will push Iowa teacher salary to at least the national average and no lesser goal is acceptable," he said.
Culver drew sharp contrasts between his record on education and his opponent's, Republican Jim Nussle. Culver said Nussle, who voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, "left schools and teachers in a very precarious place" by voting five times to cut funding for No Child Left Behind.
"There is a clear choice for governor this fall," he said. "It's a choice between Iowa values and Iowa classroom experience vs. Washington, D.C. values and Washington bureaucratic rules and the choice could not be more clear."
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