Education comes first for House candidate

Supporting education and giving educators their respect are the campaign issues for Pat Shipley running for State Rep. Dist. 17 as a Democrat.

A Villisca native and Iowa State University graduate, Shipley taught and coached at school districts in Farragut and Corning for 16 years. She also worked for more than 26 years as public education employee advocate for the Iowa State Education Association.

She is mayor of Nodaway, and is a stated clerk of the Missouri River Presbytery, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

“All this legislation did not start in Iowa,” she said about the proposals made to Iowa public education last session, many of which did not develop. “It has filtered its way across the country.”

She said she has spoken with various school administrators about the state of education in Iowa.

“It’s been the scapegoat, the whipping boy, especially in the last session. It is disheartening as a former educator. It all seems mean spirited, unnecessary and unfounded. Parents have always had a say in education. You have to ask and you can get answers. It felt like things went out of control as there are too many assumptions made without much information.”

During the last session, there were proposals to determine what books could be in school libraries, a teacher’s lesson plans known in advance and cameras installed in classrooms. One educator told Shipley a teacher’s day may not be condusive to those concepts.

“A teacher told me at a legislative forum, who had 20 years experience and coaches said they go to school at 7:30 a.m., teach all day and then get home at 11 p.m. ‘You’re saying a bill would have to be required posted of any changes in the lesson plan and materials used.’ Anybody who has taught knows stuff happens and lessons plan change. Kids may work faster on something and get it,” she said.

Shipley said unexpected events at school, like the death of a student, also changes teachers’ schedules and planning. “There are some things that happen and meeting plans are pointless for the week,” she said.

Shipley wants to prevent further attempts to use public funds for private schools in Iowa.

“It’s not about access,” she said of Gov. Reynolds’ proposal. “It’s to bleed off and give to private schools, take away from public schools and the 98% of kids who are in public schools. Private schools can determine who they let in. Public meets the people at the doors.”

Shipley said not every private school has the staffing or access to handle students with special needs or behavior tendencies.

“They don’t meet all student needs,” she said. “It takes money away that could be spent on public education. If it gets it foot in the door, it’s katy bar the door.”

She also wants better funding for Iowa’s community college system.

“All have been underfunded. Southwestern has the smallest enrollment in the state. The AEAs are underfunded. They provide all the services from therapists and speciality services that are required to be provided for kids. Individual schools cannot fund that.”