Sorenson Receives Governor Huckabee And Huck PAC Endorsement!
GOVERNOR MIKE HUCKABEE AND HUCK PAC ENDORSE KENT SORENSON FOR IOWA STATE SENATE DISTRICT 37
Huckabee Releases Statement About Sorenson’s Bid In Iowa
August 17, 2010
Little Rock, AR – Governor Mike Huckabee issued the following statement about Kent Sorenson:
“Huck PAC and I are proud to endorse Kent Sorenson for Iowa State Senate District 37. Kent was first elected to the Iowa House in 2008, winning a race that many thought was unwinnable. Kent isn’t afraid of fight, especially when you have something worth fighting for.
Kent shares our values, is unequivocally pro-life and supports the traditional definition of marriage – as being between one man and one woman. Kent is an avid outdoorsman and will continue working hard to keep and preserve your 2nd Amendment rights.
Please join me in supporting Kent Sorenson for Iowa State Senate District 37.”
Sorenson’s Straight Talk
Government Oversight Continues on IASB
I continue to serve on the Government Oversight Committee during the interim. We met recently to review the release of a long overdue financial audit of the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). The audit provided some details on already known financial dealings. We first questioned auditors before moving on to question IASB interim director Veronica Stalker and legal representative Nolden Gentry. Our questions were focused on the inexcusable lack of internal controls within the association and what work is being done to correct these mistakes. The audit confirmed already known details about improper transfers of money between IASB entities and salary increases for three top executives. It also reported that former executive director Maxine Kilcrease spent over $18,000 to refurnish her and another office, and it detailed how much money was still to be paid back for overcompensation or improper personal spending by current and former employees. Questions were asked whether or not the IASB’s services could be provided by a private company or through the AEAs. An audit for the 2010 fiscal year is currently being conducted and is expected sometime in September. The oversight committee plans to have IASB back at the November meeting to discuss the findings of that audit and to formulate plans for any legislative action needed for the next General Assembly.
Should Iowa Put “Right to Work” in the Constitution?
In 1947, the Taft-Hartley amendments to the 1935 National Labor Relations Act affirmed the states’ right to pass Right-to-Work laws. Right-to-Work laws guarantee that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join, nor to pay dues to a labor union. The Right to Work principle affirms the right of every American to work for a living without being forced to belong to a union. Compulsory unionism in any form–”union,” “closed,” or “agency” shop–is a contradiction of the Right to Work principle and the fundamental human right the principle represents. As of January 1, 2006, 22 states have adopted Right-to-Work laws. Of those 22 states, ten have taken the extra step of putting Right-to-Work into its constitution (Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota). Should Iowa join those ten states and do the same? Prior to 2007, the answer was probably that it was not necessary. However, since 2007 the Democrat majorities have sponsored several bills to completely overturn Iowa’s 60-year-old Right-to-Work status by requiring non-union members of public employers and private employers to pay a mandatory fee to the union. I would like to hear from you on this issue.
Sales Tax Holiday August 6 & 7
This year marks the 11th annual Iowa Sales Tax Holiday, and it begins when stores open on Friday August 6 and ends when stores close on Saturday August 7. During this time period, consumers will pay no sales tax, including local option sales tax, on select clothing and footwear marked at $100 or less. Consumers can access a complete list of items that are taxable and items that are exempt at: http://www.iowa.gov/tax/educate/STHList.pdf <http://www.iowa.gov/tax/educate/STHList.pdf> .
The annual sales tax holiday provides consumers with a little break on the price of essential clothing items. Many families look forward to these two days in August because the savings can add up. Eighteen states have designated sales tax holidays. In fact, many states have multiple days when no sales tax is collected. For example, the State of Illinois sales tax holiday is 10 days long, beginning August 6th and ending August 15th. Many states have higher price thresholds on qualifying items and have expanded their sales tax exemptions beyond just select clothing items and footwear. Several states include school supplies, books, computers, sports equipment, and energy star products in their list of tax free items. I would support expanding the items on Iowa’s list that would be tax-free on this weekend so families could save even more when back-to-school shopping.
Let’s Put Kids Ahead Of Special Interest
The end of the school year is upon us. Schools are busy finalizing their budgets and preparing for next year. Since Governor Culver and legislative Democrats underfunded K-12 education by $162 million dollars while still spending the second most amount of money in Iowa history, schools are making deep cuts and property taxes are going up. Culver’s property tax increases are collectively estimated to be near $182 million but could be as high as a half billion dollars.
Through all of this, many teachers and staff members have been let go to ensure districts are operating with a balanced budget. When these layoffs are made, districts are forced to make decisions based on seniority – not necessarily on whether they are retaining the best teachers for the students in their districts.
This must change.
A recent Register Editorial in the Des Moines Sunday Register <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100509/OPINION03/5090317/1110/Keep-best-teachers-not-necessarily-veterans> does a good job highlighting the need to change the way we evaluate and promote teachers. “Seniority tends to be a big factor in who stays – it’s written into school district contracts – which can have devastating consequences for students,” wrote the Des Moines Sunday Register. “Putting the best teacher possible in every classroom should be everyone’s top priority. It’s mind-boggling that it isn’t,” they concluded.
I could not agree more.
Year after year, Republicans have authored broad and sweeping education reforms in the Iowa Legislature to reform education. If enacted, our “pay for performance” law would be one of the boldest reform plans anywhere in the nation. “Pay for performance” legislation was passed by the Legislature in 2006 but Governor Vilsack caved in to the demands of the deep pocketed union bosses who prefer the stagnant status quo. This, like many similar proposals to enhance student achievement and renew the legacy of Iowa’s proud heritage in education, has been defeated year after year by the party currently in power.
Case in point, when Iowa applied for President Obama’s Race to the Top grant program, our state’s application was denied. Governor Culver and legislative Democrats, like Vilsack, caved to the demands of powerful special interests and well-funded union bosses by voting down Republican efforts to revitalize our education system and make Iowa more competitive.
Today, 20 to 25 percent of our students are one year or more below grade level. This drastic change in direction is one of the leading reasons why our eighth graders in 1993 were first in mathematics but have now fallen to 28th. Though we have spent billions of dollars, student achievement has stagnated and in many instances declined. The 2008 Iowa Condition of Education Report shows student proficiency has decreased over the past year in fourth grade reading, fourth grade math, eleventh grade reading and eleventh grade math.
We need more accountability. Everyone must be accountable for the success of our students. Though these children may be students today, we will be relying on them to be the leaders of tomorrow. Students, parents, schools, colleges of education and policymakers all need to be held accountable.
We need to pay our good teachers well and weed out those who are not meeting the necessary standards. There are excellent teachers with all levels of experience and they must be rewarded and those who do not excel need to move on. We must be clear, basing personnel decisions solely on seniority must end.
As it stands now, the rest of the world is leaving America behind and the rest of America is starting to leave Iowa behind. Simply throwing more money at the problem without real reform has not and will continue not to work.
We need dramatic reform and we need it now. If we fail to act, we are leaving our children, grandchildren and future generations of Iowans without the necessary skills they need to be productive members of society.
It’s time to put our students first by preparing them to be productive citizens who possess the necessary skills and knowledge to compete with any one else in the world. Our kids deserve the very best.