Recent editorials published in Iowa newspapers

Des Moines Register. January 10, 2018

Iowa should eliminate, not accommodate, dangerous new home-schooling option

On the surface, the Iowa Department of Education’s recommendation to open the state’s online learning program to all home-schooled K-12 students seems like a reasonable idea.

Scratch beneath the surface, and it’s a horrible idea.

The agency’s proposal is largely targeted at families who have chosen “independent private instruction.” This option in home-schooling, recently added to Iowa law, allows children to entirely disappear from every educational grid in this state.

State school officials should be yelling from the rooftops for the Iowa Legislature to repeal independent private instruction, not modify law in ways that accommodate or encourage it.

Traditional home-schooling works well for some families. Many children receive a good education from parents and have access to courses, services and extracurricular activities at a local school. Independent private instruction is an entirely different creature.

Iowa home-school students could get better access to online classes

It gives parents permission to keep at home their own children (and up to four unrelated children) without notifying anyone or filling out a single form. A child can suddenly vanish from school, and parents can simply say they’re independent. Or they can say nothing at all if anyone asks.

There are no educational assessment requirements

These students are prohibited from taking any classes or participating in any activities at a local school. Prohibited. They cannot attend math class at a high school. They cannot play on a sports team. Their parents want these kids completely off the radar, and the law now allows it.

If the Department of Education wants to pre-file legislation related to home-schooling, it should propose nixing independent private instruction. The agency has never done that. Instead it pre-filed a bill

“Home-schooling families have asked for direct access to these courses, and we support providing it,” said the agency’s spokeswoman, Staci Hupp.

Are families that went out of their way to avoid any formal education system calling the state education department? And if they are, officials should tell them online programming is certainly available - if they participate in a home-schooling model that allows a district to know a child exists.

Republican lawmakers seem receptive to the agency’s proposal.

“I can see zero ways it can be a bad thing,” said Sen. Amy Sinclair, chairwoman of the Iowa Senate Education Committee.

Really? Has she heard of Natalie Finn?

The West Des Moines teen starved to death. She and her siblings, who were hospitalized when discovered, were the subject of numerous reports of child abuse, mostly turned in by school officials - until the children disappeared from class.

“Once they fell off the school radar, they lost them,” Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, told the Register last year. School officials were informed Natalie “was on a self-study course with her parents, and she did not need to report to school. Her sister and brother were also on that track,” he said.

A self-study course. No reporting to the school. And independent private instruction students are also exempted from state-required immunizations, dental screening and vision checks, so a health professional may never lay eyes on them.

Independent private instruction is irresponsible and dangerous. It disregards reams of state education law intended to ensure Iowa children are educated. Kids, who cannot pick their parents, may never learn to read. They are prohibited from receiving special-education services. They may disappear and starve to death.

State education leaders should demand the fringe home-schooling option be repealed, not cater to it.

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Sioux City Journal. January 10, 2018

Sioux City must pursue more land for economic expansion

Economic growth and prosperity for the future demands Sioux City embrace a bold, visionary commitment to acquisition of additional land for development.

A front-page story in Sunday’s Journal described the challenge of available land for industrial development faced by Sioux City. Whereas Dakota Dunes and North Sioux City in South Dakota, South Sioux City in Nebraska and Sergeant Bluff in Iowa do not face a land crunch, the two business parks in our tri-state metro region’s largest city - Southbridge and Bridgeport West - are almost full.

In our view, this isn’t a time for local public and private leaders to rest on laurels of yesterday, but rather a time for them to position this community for economic development successes tomorrow.

One component of this comprehensive plan should be Sioux City working with Woodbury County to breathe new life into discussion of a “mega site” - a goal we first broached in this space more than six years ago.

In state economic development circles, a “mega site” commonly means at least 1,000 acres of shovel-ready land.

Imagine the impact on this city and, indeed, region if, say, an auto manufacturer decided to locate a plant and a couple of thousand jobs on a “mega site” at the south edge of Sioux City between Southbridge and the Port Neal complex.

We understand the process of acquiring land for economic expansion (in particular, assembling enough land for a “mega site”) is complex business. Still, we encourage local leaders to dream big and leave no stone unturned in pursuit of this objective.

“I think (Marty Dougherty, the city of Sioux City’s economic development director) is probably right that we are kind of victims of successes, but now is not the time to wait and not be aggressive, either,” Mayor Bob Scott said in Sunday’s Journal story. “We are going to continue to look for land and opportunities where we can acquire.”

Without question, we believe that’s the right strategy.

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Fort Dodge Messenger. January 12, 2018

USDA accomplished much in 2017

Late last month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue shared his perspective on how the agency he heads had fared in 2017. He said it was a year during which the hard-driving team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture achieved a great deal.

“Unlike any other federal department, USDA touches the lives of each individual in this country every day,” Perdue said. “In the wake of hurricanes, forest fires, and everything in between, the dedicated professionals at USDA worked tirelessly to serve the American people. As we look ahead to 2018, USDA will continue our efforts to be the most effective, efficient and customer-focused department in the entire federal government.”

Here are some of the USDA’s accomplishments highlighted by the secretary:

Trade - Facilitating the sale of American agricultural products internationally was a top agenda item at the USDA in 2017. Important progress took place. U.S. beef sales are now possible in China after a 13-year hiatus. U.S. produced rice also can now be sold in that country. South Korea’s ban on the import of U.S. poultry was lifted. Overall the goal was opening ever more markets to U.S. agricultural producers.

Reorganization - A major restructuring of the department took place in 2017. This included the creation of a new top leadership position - undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. Modernization of information technology, facilities and support services also took place. Streamlining internal processes so the department could better serve its many stakeholders and constituencies was given priority attention. The reorganization sought to make certain that customer service was better coordinated than it had been in the past.

Reduced regulation -USDA sought to make certain that proposed new regulatory requirements were truly necessary and began revisiting existing requirements to ensure that they were not inappropriately burdensome on producers.

Attracting young folks to agriculture - Recognizing that having a high-quality workforce is critical to the future of agriculture in the United States, USDA partnered with National FFA to help attract more young folks to this economic sector. Additionally, new arrangements were developed to improve mentorship relationships for people considering careers in agriculture or new to the farm sector.

The Messenger applauds Perdue and his team at USDA for developing a game plan for this crucial department that has the right priorities. As their new focus proceeds, we expect 2018 to be a year filled with even more successes. Given the importance of agriculture in the Hawkeye State, that’s very positive.

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Dubuque Telegraph Herald. January 12, 2018

Timing right to eliminate federal deductibility

If a legislative measure has the support of Democrats and Republicans alike, it ought to be a no-brainer to see it sail through the Iowa Legislature, right?

Well, if that issue is federal deductibility, it might not be so easy.

Three different governors over four decades tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the provision that allows Iowans to deduct federal taxes paid from their state income tax.

Here’s hoping Gov. Kim Reynolds is just the woman to get the job done.

As the governor suggested in her Condition of the State speech, the timing is right to make this change. Federal income tax reform passed last month by Congress will provide tax relief for most Iowans.

Still, that doesn’t mean it will be easy.

It was nearly a decade ago that a public hearing in the Iowa House on federal deductibility turned so ugly that then-House Speaker Pat Murphy had to clear the 600 protesters gathered to sound off about the bill.

But that attempt came at the end of an already overbooked 2009 session. And it would have hit at a time when Iowans were struggling in the midst of a recession. Another tax - because if you disallow a deduction, that’s essentially a tax - was just too much for the state to bear at that time.

Timing is on the governor’s side this time around, though there will still be pushback from anti-tax and pro-business groups who will argue against any new tax. But the higher federal standard deduction will take away the benefit of deductibility for most individual Iowans, as they won’t reach the threshold of the new standard deduction.

As the governor noted: “With federal deductibility in place, when the federal government cuts taxes for working-class families, Iowa raises taxes on those same families. When the federal government cuts taxes for farmers and small businesses, Iowa raises taxes on farmers and small businesses.”

Iowa is one of the last states standing that has federal deductibility. Getting rid of it has been on the to-do list since the 1980s, though neither Govs. Terry Branstad, nor Tom Vilsack nor Chet Culver could get it done. Standing up to anti-tax groups won’t be the easy road, but the timing is right for Reynolds to eliminate federal deductibility.

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