Since I was distracted yesterday with other news I wasnât able to write my thoughts about Iowa Governor Terry Branstadâs Condition of the State address on Tuesday. Overall it was a good, positive address by Governor Branstad. He is right to brag on Iowaâs current fiscal status. Seeing our spending go below our revenues is always something to celebrate. Also we have a low unemployment rate at 4.9%. Governor Branstadâs sound budgeting practices and efforts in job creation in Iowa should be credited.
I also appreciate his call to return âa large portionâ of the current tax surplus to the taxpayers of Iowa. He noted they are the ones âwho made that surplus possible in the first place.â Very true⊠Iâll be even happier if that âlarge portionâ ends up being all of the surplus, but it is a start.
The Good.
-
Property tax reform. Governor Branstad called for permanent property tax relief. He said there should be no shift of the tax burden between classes of properties as weâve seen happen in Iowa. He also said that there should be property tax reduction for all classes of property. His budget fully funds the Homestead Tax Credit and the Elderly and Disabled Tax Credit. He called for a reform in school finance and change the formula so all of the âallowable growthâ will be funded by the state. Before it meant an uptick in property tax at the school district level. He proposes that the valuation growth rate that was capped at 4% be lowered to 2%. It seemed that county assessors like increasing your property values if they couldnât raise your taxes (even in the midst of a recession with real estate prices in the toilet).
-
Tort Reform. Governor Branstad proposes a cap on non-economic damages in medial malpractice lawsuits. He also wants to see the Legislature pass a âCertificate of Meritâ law. The Certificate of Merit would require a medical expert review of the facts of a particular case. They would then verify that the injuries could have come from substandard care or say the plaintiffs are full of crap (my words, not the Governorâs).
I really hope to see these two things pass.
The Bad.
-
Teachers are *perfect*. I know that teachers get blamed for a lot of things, but to make this blanket statement.. âLet me be perfectly clear to the teachers here today and teachers in classrooms across Iowa, you are NOT the problem.â Really? Brownnose the teachersâ unions much? There are some great teachers, to be sure, and there are some awful teachers. Teachers are not the only problem, but some are a big part of what is wrong with public education. Letâs not kid ourselves. Why else is he pushing to reform teacher evaluations?
-
More money for teachers is the answer (in part). Really? Governor Branstad wants to raise the starting minimum teachers salary from $28,000 to $35,000. This will come in stages and in five years will add $180 million to our budget. Since homeschoolers and private schools constantly out perform public school kids and they get paid nothing and a pittance respectfully donât tell me that paying teachers more is the answer. There is zero proof that is the case. This is a trade off to teachersâ unions to get them to sign off on the teacher evaluation reforms.
-
Career pathways that will take successful teachers out of the classrooms. While I believe in mentoring, Iâd rather see struggling teachers come out of their classrooms to shadow and be mentored by successful teachers.
-
Diminished local control in education. The evaluation system and career pathways will be foisted on local school districts. Why do we have school boards anymore? Iâll have to address education more since Branstadâs bill was just dropped. I havenât had a chance to read it, but have seen his larger agenda.
-
Money, money, more money⊠Whether it is teachersâ pay, kids taking a college/career readiness test on the state dime or tuition reimbursement for rural doctors he talked about how he was going to increase the budget, not cut it. Just because we have a surplus in tax revenue doesnât mean we should raise the budget. Because we can pay our bills now doesnât mean weâll always be able to. Congress, whether they want to or not, will have to eventually cut spending which likely mean money to the states (of which Iowa gets approximately $6 billion). We could end up in another recession or worse depression. Itâs better, at the very least, to cap spending if not cut it.
The Omitted:
Things I would have liked to hear in Governor Branstadâs address, but didnât.
-
No gas tax. Heâs still toying with the idea, but has said taxes in other places would have to be cut.
-
Reigning in public unions â itâs likely a shot in the dark with the current make of the Iowa Senate, but I would have hoped he could have been inspired by the example of Wisconsin and Michigan.
-
School choice â one reform that can actually do some good (full gamut, not just charter schools).
-
Personal income tax reform⊠can we follow Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindalâs example?
-
A pushback against federal mandates and carrots/stick offers. Theyâve embraced the Common Core and acquiesced â kinda with the health care exchanges.
It sounds as though Governor Branstad is willing to consider other ideas and if bills are passed that were not in his agenda doesnât mean he wonât sign them. Iâve heard that heâs willing to look at other education proposals so thereâs hope.
Looking at his overall plan it seems better than last yearâs, especially with education. It was touted as a bold agenda, but I didnât find it particularly bold. Perhaps it was realistic considering the make-up of the Legislature, but letâs not call it bold.