Gas Tax And School Funding The Hot Topics At Eggs And Issues

This man asked the legislative representative if they could have found waste to cut versus raising taxes.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The temps were frigid outside, but the simmering gas tax increase kept the inside of Smokey Row heated with discussion.

In his opening comments, Rep. Larry Sheets said he had “never seen a bill pushed so hard, run so fast and end up with identical results from both the Republican and Democratic side.” Sheets said it was 53% for the gas tax, but “about 3/4 of the people of the state not wanting a gas tax.”

Rep. Guy Vander Linden was next to remark about the gas tax in his opening comments. He said that if people wanted to discuss the tax increase, he was fine with that, “but I consider it to be water under the bridge at this point”.

Both representatives voted no for the 10 cent tax increase. Senator Ken Rozenboom was the lone legislator on the stage who did vote for the increase.

One resident man spoke about how the economy and “illegal immigrants are taking our jobs, that I would hope my children would get some day.” He also spoke about Wisconsin Governor Scoot Walker, who according to the speaker, “has lead by example.” “He cut thousands and thousands of government jobs in his state and balanced the budget.”

“And now we need a tax hike which you put on the middle class,” added the resident male. “Why not tighten the budget in this state like Mr. Walker did? We could not find 3% of waste in our budget?”

“And now your looking for $200 million for education… and you can’t find any waste?” asked the male.

Rep. Larry Sheets responded to the gentleman by saying, “I didn’t ask for the gas tax or the increase your talking about.”

When it comes to finding 3% waste in the budget, Rep. Guy Vander Linden said, “I think we probably could. Question is, can we get it through both houses and signed by the Governor?”

School start date is another issue the Iowa Legislature is working on, coupled with education funding, which looks like it will be passed near the Governor’s recommendation of a 1.25% increase.

Diane Crookham-Johnson, who sits on the state’s Board of Education, asked the legislators if there was going to be a decision on school start date before the end of the session, “so the kids will know when they are going back to school next year”.

“My position has always been, it’s a local government issue,” said Rozenboom. “I think that’s the right answer and it’s an easy answer.”

Rozenboom’s counterpart in the House, Guy Vander Linden, joked initially that, “It’s gonna be somewhere between the 1st of July and the 1st of September”. Vander Linden said that the Senate has a bill for the 1st of July, the House has one for the 23rd of August.  “Now it becomes, in my mind, a game of chicken. Who’s going to compromise or stand their ground” and end up with a different start date like September 1st. “If that happens, it’s going to be a case of who’s going to take the blame.”

The continued request by state educators for additional funds has flustered the legislators, who say that the requested 6% increase is unrealistic. But school administrators push back saying that the cost of keeping staff and the buildings open requires that type of increase.

Representative Guy Vander Linden (R) expressed concern to the audience then that maybe something would need to be done with collective bargaining, as a tool to help lower the cost of education to the tax payer.

Oskaloosa School Superintendent Russ Reiter spoke that he was always under the impression that education is important in Iowa. “I don’t think it’s there anymore,” said Reiter of the taxpayers and legislatures desire to fund Iowa schools. He said that Iowa’s education system used to be 46% of the budget, “today it’s 42%”. “We’ve taken our hit, and we continue to see less and less, percentage wise.”

If asked if 1.25% or 2% increase in funding will work, Reiter said, “It won’t.”

“I will pose to you the same question that I got about the gas tax. Where ya gonna cut?” asked Vander Linden of Reiter. “The answer is, nobody has an answer.”

“We’ve provided an increase of about $500 million to education over the last few years. There is nowhere else that we can determine to cut, in order to increase that amount going to education. The Governor agrees with the House on this.”

Vander Linden said that if a compromise can’t be reached, “we’re going to talk about the whole collective bargaining process to how this money gets spent, regardless of what the schools want to do.”

Local attorney Eric Palmer asked about the collective bargaining comment by Vander Linden. “If I understand, what that really means is, you’re talking about looking at teachers salaries and their ability to bargain collectively. What do you mean and what do you hope to really accomplish?”

Vander Linden responded by saying, “I think what we mean is, open up Chapter 20, which your familiar with, I know, and go into the whole issue of public employees and collective bargaining, and whether that’s a good idea or not. Because there are a significant number of people in the House who think it’s a bad idea, and even Franklin Roosevelt, who was a champion of labor his whole life, was against collective bargaining for public employees. So that’s what we’re talking about.”

Palmer responded, “To follow up with that then, since it appears to be a House issue, gentlemen of the House, would you be in favor of getting rid of collective bargaining?”

“Collective bargaining for public employees?” asked Vander Linden. “Yes, I would be.”

Sheets said he is also against collective bargaining.

This issue is what caused the Wisconsin Governor to be recalled, and massive protests took place at the Wisconsin state house.