Green for school vouchers, Thompson mixed

By DOUGLAS BURNS

d.burns@carrollspaper.com

The two state legislators representing Greene County are broadly supportive of school choice but may split on an actual vote, depending on how the specifics shake out in the Legislature.

State Sen. Jesse Green, R-Harcourt, during his campaign in the fall spotlighted support of school choice — allowing parents from certain underperforming schools to redirect tax dollars from public schools to private and religious schools. It’s long been a cornerstone of the Republican Party platform in Iowa.

“I personally love that bill,” Green said of Senate File 159 during a legislative forum Saturday. “It’s a very targeted bill. It gets at the most vulnerable in our society, the students that do not have a choice. They’re trapped in these districts and this bill and the scholarships provide every option to those students to break out of their cycle of poverty.”

Green represents the geographically sprawling Senate District 24 which is composed of Greene, Boone and Hamilton counties, along with portions of Webster and Story counties.

Meanwhile, Green’s fellow Republican, state Rep. Phil Thompson of Jefferson, notes that none of the 34 failing schools identified in the Senate bill are in his district, which includes Greene and most of Boone counties.

Thompson said he is wrestling with whether to support legislation he sees as having no benefit for the schools in his district.

“That’s kind of where my heartburn is with it at the moment,” Thompson said.

Thompson and Green responded to questions on education and a range of other issues during an hour-long forum hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Gardens Board. Rick Morain, former publisher and owner and current contributor at The Jefferson Herald, moderated the event, which was broadcast live on Facebook and remains available for viewing at the Thomas Jefferson Gardens Facebook page.

Thompson said he would be more inclined to support a school choice bill if modifications were made in the House, and if schools in Greene or Boone counties fell into the severe underperforming category. None currently do.

“None of my people can take advantage of that,” Thompson said.

Specifically, the legislation, as it cleared the Senate on a vote of 26-21, would provide “Student First Scholarships” — more generally known as education savings accounts — for students whose families live in districts with some of Iowa’s poorest test scores and/or graduation rates, schools in the bottom 5 percent of the Comprehensive listing, which currently stands at 34 schools and, regionally, includes East Sac County Elementary School. The education savings accounts would start in July 2022 under the proposed legislation.

State money that now goes to the public school for those kids — roughly about $5,000 annually based on current state spending for schools — could go into accounts for each K-12 student who wants to leave those public schools districts and go to a private school.

Green said he sees the Senate bill as a test on private school vouchers or choice, one that if successful, could be expanded.

“I campaigned on school choice and parental choice,” Green said.

On other issues, Thompson and Green don’t support decriminalizing marijuana — a suggestion made last week by Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, a likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2022. Sand said the state should regulate marijuana the same way it does alcohol.

“I’d be very cautious about decriminalizing it,” Green said, adding that he would support legalized use of the drug for treatment of medical conditions.

Similarly, Thompson would not legalize marijuana for recreational use, but he thinks rehabilitation should play a bigger role in managing marijuana offenders than jail time.

“I do think we have too many people in jail for these crimes,” Thompson said.

Green said he agrees with the idea “in theory” of banning tenure for college professors at Iowa’s three public universities, but thinks it makes little sense to do it as Iowa would be the first state to eliminate tenure and could lose teaching talent.

“When we’re the only state going down that route I’ve got to research that out more,” Green said. “I’m really hesitant on that bill.”

Thompson said there are egregious examples of professors, whose jobs are protected by tenure, abusing their positions to advance political and social ideologies. Thompson mentioned Iowa State University specifically.

“We do have a cultural problem at the university and it does seem like some professors really do go rogue and are doing some irresponsible and quite frankly illegal things, and at the end of the day are really having no penalties,” Thompson, a member of the House Government Oversight Committee, said.

Thompson said he would not go so far as ripping away tenure as patents for research are tied to top talent. But continuing the conversation about allowing free speech from a variety of political points of view, and disciplining professors for certain behaviors, is important, he said.

On firearms issues, Green supports permitless carry of firearms in Iowa.

“I want permits to be an option rather than mandatory,” Green said, adding that the option rests with the owner of the gun. “If they want to get a permit they can. If not, that’s their choice.”

Thompson said he has not seen a permitless carry bill in the Legislature.

“We’re certainly going to take up some Second Amendment rights bills,” Thompson said.

Thompson said many Iowans support permitless carry.

“I would be inclined to support it,” Thompson said.

Green said permits should be available to Iowans so they can legally carry guns in other states.