Three ISEA faculty members gave lawmakers a compelling firsthand look at the pressing issues facing community colleges and their students before the Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Click below to watch excerpts from their remarks and to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Lee Skeens, Southeastern Community College
Donna Eberly, Western Iowa Tech
Carolyn Stephenson, Kirkwood Community College
Download the presentation

A record-breaking crowd of more than 200 Association activists studied the upcoming issues, heard from political leaders, and began mapping lobbying strategy at the annual ISEA Legislative Conference, Jan. 11-12, at the Quality Inn and Suites in downtown Des Moines. Topping the list of our legislative initiatives which were unveiled at the conference are raising community college faculty salaries to 25th in the nation, providing funding to make education support professional salaries competitive, and ensuring that K-12 salaries don't lose ground by rolling the teacher compensation funding into the school aid formula.

Check out these resources from the conference:

Download the PowerPoint presentation
Download the Legislative Initiatives brochure
Download the K-12 Lobby Day flyer
Download the community college Lobby Day flyer
Watch excerpts from Joel Packer's presentation
Download Joel Packer's PowerPoint presentation
Watch excerpts from the legislative panel discussion
Watch Lt. Gov. Patty Judge's speech
Watch ISEA-PAC auction with U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell

Teacher Quality appropriation incorporated into the Iowa school finance formula
The salary appropriation in the teacher law must be set annually.  As it now stands, it is approved through fiscal year 2008-09.  But Iowa educators have learned the hard way about the negative impact of annual appropriations.  Take, for example, the Excellence in Education Act of 1987 (Phases I, II, and III).  For years, the Legislature chipped away at funding for Phase III and eventually the entire program was eliminated.  In addition, the appropriations for Phases I and II have never received inflationary increases.  As a result, the buying power of those dollars has been significantly eroded by inflation over the past 20 years.

That's why it is imperative the Governor and Iowa Legislature incorporate funding for teacher salaries and professional development into the Iowa School Finance Formula.  This funding must be ongoing and it must keep pace with inflationary increases through the allowable growth rate in order for the state of Iowa to be able to attract and keep top-quality educators.

Allowable growth rate - competitive living wage
The ISEA supports an allowable growth rate of 6 percent for fiscal year 2009-10, although we will consider supporting a lower allowable growth rate in conjunction with rolling the teacher quality appropriation into the Iowa School Finance Formula.  In order to provide a world-class education for our students, Iowa's public schools and public school educators must receive adequate resources. What's more, funding for public schools must be enough so that all the employees, including Education Support Professionals, can earn a competitive living wage. The Iowa Legislature and Governor must push public employers to provide a competitive living wage for all employees.

Area Education Agencies (AEAs)
The ISEA supports restoring the remaining $5.25 million of the $8 million funding reduction the AEAs incurred.  The ISEA also strongly supports increasing AEA funding through the allowable growth rate as well as including the teacher quality funding for AEA educational professionals in the Iowa School Finance Formula.

Retirement
The ISEA supports implementing an actuarially set contribution rate, which may be increased or decreased by 0.5 percent per year and which maintains the current 60 percent employer and 40 percent employee funding ratio.  We support finding a funding mechanism that makes the Favorable Experience Dividend for post-1990 retirees and the COLA for pre-1990 retirees sustainable by adjusting the actuarial process to account for these costs in the normal cost of the fund.  In addition, we call for a study to look at future options for a long-term cost-of-living adjustment tied to the consumer price index.  And we call for the creation of an independent board of trustees to govern IPERS and assume the fiduciary responsibility for the members of IPERS.

Statewide local option sales tax
The ISEA supports the implementation of a statewide sales tax to replace the current local option sales tax.  The ISEA also supports expanding the use of this tax revenue to include school district general fund educational programs.  In addition, the ISEA supports the creation of a statewide panel to oversee distributions of infrastructure money to local school districts similar to what was done for the Vision Iowa program. 

Expanding the use of the sales tax revenue is crucial because the needs of Iowa's public schools go beyond bricks and mortar.  Our schools must expand course offerings at all grade levels to maintain rigor and relevance and we need to add more opportunities for early childhood education and at a faster pace.  In addition, we must ensure our elementary schools can provide foreign language programs, that our middle schools have courses that meet the needs of the students in the new world economy, and that our high schools have cutting edge courses for college preparation and in the areas of career and technical education.

2008 ISEA Community College Faculty Initiatives

Community college faculty salaries
The average Iowa community college salary for faculty at the two-year schools has dropped two notches -- from 30th to 32nd in the nation. Iowa's faculty members earned, on average, $44,973 in 2005-06, the most recent year for which figures are available.  That's $10,407 below the national average and $3,686 below the national median.  In 1994, Iowa's community college faculty salary ranked 24th in the nation.  What's more, our faculty salaries lag far behind several neighboring states including Wisconsin at $64,609; Illinois at $60,270; Minnesota at $57,686; and Missouri at $49,650.  Iowa faculty are losing economic ground.  Since 1994, salaries have actually decreased by $1,700 -- or 4.9 percent -- when inflation is factored in.

Community college faculty seek an additional $8 million over the next two years to raise faculty salaries to 25th in the nation.  Faculty request that this two-year commitment be made in the 2008 legislative session.  The faculty requests the funding be distributed to community colleges equally to each full-time equivalent faculty position.  The distribution language should be codified to ensure that the funding is used to increase faculty salaries. 

Community college faculty professional development
Community college faculty seek an additional $1.1 million for quality professional development opportunities. This is approximately $500 per faculty member which is comparable to state-funded professional development for K-12 teachers. The Quality Faculty Committees at each college would determine the use and distribution of the funds.

State General Aid
State General Aid assists in maintaining the operations of community colleges.  Community college faculty seek an additional $12.9 million in State General Aid for fiscal year 2009.  This request is based on a formula adopted by the State Board of Education.

Quality faculty
Community college faculty request the Legislature ensure that every community college student and K-12 student receiving community college credit have access to quality faculty including mandating that all faculty meet minimum hiring standards and participate in quality faculty plans.   

Local tax Support
Each community college board's flexibility to access local tax support when needed can begin to address the current work force training capacity and maintenance needs as well as the increasing tuition expense.  In FY 1970, approximately 25 percent of the community colleges' general operating fund budget was comprised of local tax revenue.  Today, local support for community colleges is less than 6 percent of their general operating fund budgets.  Community college local tax support is only 2 percent of total local tax revenues across the state.

• Download the brochure.
• Download the PowerPoint presentation.
  

Tips on writing to your legislators

Sending a letter or an e-mail is a great way to communicate with a state legislator. Here are a few tips for writing effective messages:

• Individually written messages, rather than mass generated form letters, make a greater impression on your legislator. Type your name, address, and phone number at the top. The Iowa State Legislature is generally in session January through April. When the Legislature is out of session, it may be more effective to send your letter or message to your legislator's home.

• Addressing correspondence:

To a State Senator:

The Honorable (Full Name)
Iowa Senate
Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Dear Senator (Last Name)

To a State Representative:

The Honorable (Full Name)
Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Dear Representative (Last Name)

• Be specific. Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, be sure to identify its full name and number, e.g. House File: HF_____, Senate File: SF_____. Try to send your letter while the issue is still alive.

• State your position. Explain why you support or oppose this particular issue. Keep in mind that local examples concerning the impact of this legislation are very powerful. Be courteous and to the point, keeping your letter focused on one issue.

• Ask for a response. Indicate to your legislator that you would appreciate a reply containing his/her position on the issue. "Sincerely yours" is a proper way to conclude your letter.

• Follow up. If you agree with your legislator's vote, take the time to let him/her know that. Similarly, if you disagree with his or her vote, inform your legislator.

The ISEA's two lobbyists -- Brad Hudson and Jon Studer  -- are at the Capitol daily during the session working with legislators and closely monitoring the issues and the bills. Read our weekly reports of how education-related bills are faring.

May 16 Update
April 28 Wrap-up
April 18 Update
April 10 Update
April 3 Update
March 25 Update
March 13 Update
March 7 Update
February 29 Update
February 14 Update
February 1 Update
January 25 Update
January 16 Update
April 30 Update

Tips on successful lobbying

At the heart of the Association's lobbying strategy is the grassroots involvement of members in every corner of the state. Although ISEA's full-time lobbyists play a key role during the session, legislators want--and need--to hear how their actions will impact children and education back home.

Lobbying isn't hard--and it can be fun. You don't have to be an expert on school finance or anything else but you are the expert on how legislation will affect your students and your school.

Here are some tips for effective lobbying:

• Keep on top of the issues by regularly visiting our Web site and by subscribing to the ISEA Hotline electronic newsletter.

• The most effective member-lobbyists are those who have developed a personal relationship with their legislators. Plan to keep in touch throughout the session via letters, phone calls, or personal visits when they are home for the weekend.

• If you plan to meet with your legislator at the Capitol during the legislative session, be sure to schedule an appointment in advance. If you plan on taking them to lunch, remember that they will probably want to pay their own way--Iowa law prohibits them from accepting gifts valued at more than $3.

• Personal letters are always appreciated. Remember to stick to only one or two issues at a time, provide real-life personal examples, and be polite. Also, don't forget to carefully proofread your letter. Send your letter, addressed simply to: "Dear Rep." (fill in the name) or "Dear Sen." (fill in the name), Iowa Senate or Iowa House of Representatives, State Capitol Building, Des Moines, IA 50319.

• Every lawmaker now has an e-mail address and many even prefer this method of communication. You can send an e-mail to your legislator directly through the ISEA's Legislative Action Center. Keep in mind, however, that most legislators prefer to use e-mail for quick and simple messages. If you have a detailed message, it's probably best to send it via regular mail. Before you use your school e-mail account to correspond with your legislator, be sure to check your school district's policy on personal use of e-mail.

• When speed is of the essence, you can always phone a quick message in to your legislator by calling 515-281-3371 (Senate) or 515-281-3221 (House).

Tips on phoning your state legislators

To find your state legislator's phone number, you may use our searchable online Iowa Legislature Directory or call the Senate switchboard at 515-281-3371 or the House switchboard at 515-281-3221.

Keep in mind that most telephone calls are taken by a staff member and not the actual legislator. If they are not available, you may also leave a message. If you speak with someone other than your legislator, take down their name.

Upon reaching your state legislator on the phone, it's easiest to follow these four basic steps:

IDENTIFY yourself by name and the organization (if any) that you represent or the town from which you are calling.

EXPLAIN why you are calling: "I am calling to support/oppose HF____/SF____." Be polite and concise. Creating 1 or 2 talking points will focus the content of your message. Too much information may confuse your message. Ask your legislator his/her position on this issue. Don't assume that your legislator has prior knowledge of your issue. Be calm, respectful, and be prepared to educate, using local examples to accentuate your point. If the legislator requires further information, provide it as soon as possible.

THANK the person who took the phone call for their time and consideration.

Your voluntary contribution to our political action arm, ISEA-PAC, gives us the strength and political influence we need to make a difference for students and public education in Iowa. It helps us elect candidates who have their priorities straight and who are willing to back up their talk with positive action.
What's more, ISEA-PAC contributions help us help Iowans get beyond the campaign rhetoric and better understand what's really at stake.

In short, your voluntary contribution is an investment in your career and helps ensure that your students will continue to receive the best possible education.

Here's how ISEA-PAC works
Through an extensive interview and recommendation process, we identify candidates who truly support educators and public education. Then, we disseminate that information to help our members -- and the public -- make informed decisions on election day.

If you have questions about ISEA-PAC, contact Brad Hudson.