'Public School Strong' Meeting in Decorah Highlights Fight for Education Funding

It's your town. Your lives. Your stories. Make sure someone's telling them—donate to Decorah News now. DECORAH — An engaged group of education advocates gathered Tuesday evening, Oct. 28, at the Decorah United Church of Christ Center to talk about the future of public education in Iowa and how to take action to defend it. The meeting, organized by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) as part of its "Public School Strong" initiative, shared concerns about state education funding and the growing diversion of public funds to private schools through voucher programs. According to Iowa CCI, public schools educate 92% of Iowa's children, with just 8% in private schools. The organization says public schools are accountable to taxpayers through elected school boards, public budgets, audits and open curriculum input—standards that private institutions are not required to meet. CCI estimates that private school vouchers will siphon off nearly $1 billion from Iowa's public education budget over four years. Studies from other states, including Indiana and Louisiana, have shown declines in student performance where voucher programs have expanded. Despite those challenges, organizers said the movement for strong public schools remains deeply rooted in Iowa's communities. "At Iowa CCI, we believe every child, no matter their zip code, background, race, or ability, has an equal right to a quality education," the organization said. "Strong public schools are the foundation of our democracy. It's time we fund them like it." "We can do better," said Tim Glaza, special projects director for Iowa CCI. "Iowa's public schools were once the best in the nation. Budget cuts and the expansion of private school vouchers are setting us up for failure, but it doesn't have to be this way." The evening's panel included Carolyn Corbin as facilitator, former Decorah School Board members Melanie Tietz (2003–2015) and Mona Nelson (1996–2011), and retired Decorah teacher Steve Peterson. Nelson, reflecting on her years of service, said she's seen a striking decline in public education support. "It did not matter what party was in control during my 15 years on the board," she said. "Iowans recognized one of their strongest assets was their public school system. I've been greatly disappointed in the decline." Peterson pointed to the politics behind Iowa's current voucher law. "It took two times before it passed because it was so unpopular among representatives," he explained. "This is a nonpartisan issue. It's clear people know it's not something good for the local level. It's up to us to change it." He also described the funding strain local districts now face. "Decorah has excellent co-curricular offerings and college prep programs. It's expensive. As more money is soaked up by the private system, the public system becomes more stressed and eventually, choices will have to be made on what can be maintained." Tietz connected the funding debate to broader tensions. "Every few generations, there are conflicts that find their way to schoolhouse doors," she said. "In Iowa, we started with book bans and curriculum fights, and now there's a real focus on diverting public education tax dollars to private schools. Private school voucher legislation is negatively affecting our public education landscape. The time to address this is now." Still, she emphasized that the group's goal isn't to oppose private education itself. "This is not about disparaging private schools," Tietz added. "Our belief is that public dollars should not fund that private choice." The event also emphasized a school board resolution petition campaign, an effort by Iowa CCI to push local boards to pass resolutions demanding a 5% annual funding increase for public schools and the eventual phase-out of the voucher system. To bring a resolution to the table, residents must collect either 500 signatures or 10% of voter turnout from the last school board election — whichever is fewer. Petition materials are available at www.iowacci.org/pss "This local effort is achievable," the organization explained. "It gets us out talking to Iowans, builds support for our school boards, and helps influence future school board and legislative elections." Organizers are encouraging residents to gather signatures at neighborhood meetings, PTOs, community clubs and local events, with the goal of passing resolutions by the end of 2025, before the 2026 legislative session begins. Community members are encouraged to attend the next Decorah School Board meeting on Nov. 17 to voice support for full funding. A statewide "Public School Strong" Zoom strategy meeting is also scheduled for Nov. 19. For more information or to get involved, visit www.iowacci.org/pss or contact Tim Glaza at timg@iowacci.org. Elevate your inbox with the DecorahNews.com newsletter! Receive free thought-provoking articles, actionable advice and inspiring stories every week.