Miller-Meeks Doesn’t “Know What Fully Funding Funding Schools Means”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, July 23, 2020

CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org

As Rita Hart Spends The Day Listening to Iowa Educators, A Reminder That Miller-Meeks Doesn’t “Know What Fully Funding Funding Schools Means” 

DES MOINES  — While Rita Hart spent this morning listening to Iowa teachers and educators about the challenges they anticipate this fall, her support for public education draws a glaring contrast with State Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and her disastrous record on public education.

As a state legislator, Miller-Meeks supported GOP-led efforts to undercut schools by refusing to adequately increase state funding to K-12 public schools to keep pace with rising costs. The consequences are clear: schools have laid off staff and teachers while class sizes have ballooned and children’s program opportunities are cut more and more every year. Some districts are already being forced to plan several years of budget cuts as a direct result of inadequate state funding.

Despite the $24 million in cuts made this fiscal year alone, Miller-Meeks admitted her own disregard for accessible schools and teaching the next generation by telling reporters she doesn’t “know what fully funding schools means.”

As teachers and parents across the state are caught in the crosshairs of Governor Reynolds’ school reopening demands that undermine safe and healthy learning environments during the global pandemic, Hart has emphasized the value of strong public school systems and strengthening resources for teachers and schools. Hart’s plan to safely reopen schools includes empowering local districts and following public health guidance.

Rita Hart at a virtual educator roundtable this morning

“As a longtime public school teacher, Rita Hart is a champion of public education and she understands that our parents, teachers, and students deserve better than the hand they’ve been dealt by Marianette Miller-Meeks and her GOP colleagues,” said IDP Communications Director Mandy McClure. “While Rita is putting communities at the forefront of her campaign, Miller-Meeks has a long record of standing in the way of getting our public education system the support it needs.”