August 13, 2008

Heading ‘Back to School’

Solid state budget means promises will be kept

Grant opportunities make Iowa a great place

Disaster recovery grants for the arts

Internship grants for local businesses

Community grants for home weatherization

Heading ‘Back to School’

It’s a sure sign that summer is coming to an end when students, parents and teachers prepare to head back to school. 

Most of our rural schools will begin classes within the next couple of weeks.  It was a short summer break since last year’s long winter and snow days caused many schools to hold classes well into June.  This fall, we’ll also need to be prepared for possible disruptions because of the damage caused by the recent storms.

The first days of every school year are always marked by the full range of emotions.  We see parents, with tears in their eyes, taking their kindergartners to school for the first time; and we see high school seniors facing life-changing decisions about college and career. 

Those first few days of school are a great social event.  Students get familiar with their schedules, their teachers, the electronic media and, of course, the rules and regulations that allow learning to occur in an orderly environment.

Teachers have already been working in their classrooms for several days, preparing their materials and plans for the year.  They also study their class enrollment, knowing they must challenge each and every student and teach toward mastery.  I, personally, always enjoyed teaching the fall term when students are fresh and academics are a priority.

The school support staff and administration are making sure that everything from bussing to lunch run smoothly.  They’ve been working overtime to solve problems so that everything is ready to go. 

I know that support for our local schools is a top priority for the people in our area, and it’s an issue I’ve worked on at the Iowa Statehouse.  Our recent efforts are improving student achievement by keeping the best teachers in Iowa classrooms, increasing accountability, and making quality preschool accessible to all Iowa kids.

I’m looking forward to seeing these successes firsthand when I visit local classrooms as part of America's Legislators Back to School Program. 

This national effort, sponsored by the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures, teaches young people what it's like to be a legislator.  Every year, more than 1,400 state lawmakers visit an estimated 320,000 students in their classrooms, bringing civics to life for young Americans and encouraging them to play an active role in their government.

It also gives me the opportunity to meet personally with young constituents, answer questions, share ideas and listen to concerns.  If you’d like me to come to your school at any time throughout the year, call me at 563-633-4065 or e-mail me at bschoenjahn@arlingtonia.com.

If your school is planning to visit the Capitol in Des Moines, you can schedule a tour by calling 515-281-5591 or go to www.legis.state.ia.us/tours.  Please let me know when you plan to be at the Statehouse so that I can arrange to meet you and spend some time with your class.

I wish everyone a successful school year.  Just a couple reminders:

• Students will be excited to head back to school with their friends, but safety around the busses is everyone’s responsibility—pay attention to what’s happening around you. 
  
  
• And young people, pursue your assignments as if your life’s income depends on it—because it does!  As the Olympics have demonstrated, we’re in a global competition as never before.

Solid state budget means promises will be kept

Every legislator wants to keep their promises, but only those that pay close attention to the budget have a good chance of succeeding.

That’s why I’ve pushed the Legislature to adopt solid budgeting practices in the last few years.  These reforms are now helping us keep our promises to Iowa’s students, families and communities despite the current nationwide economic slowdown. 

The fact that we are now making better budget decisions is one reason Iowa’s economy is much stronger than the nation’s as a whole.  The state budget is balanced, obeys the state’s expenditure-limitation law, and fully funds our emergency savings accounts. 

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, Iowa’s rainy day funds will grow to $620.3 million in the next year, the largest amount ever in the state’s savings account.  At the same time, we’ve repaid nearly all of the funds that earlier Legislatures had borrowed.    

Our strong state budget means we can re-allocate funds for flood and tornado recovery while keeping promises to improve student achievement and teacher quality, create good-paying jobs, make health care more accessible, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. 

By making tough budget decisions, we have improved Iowa’s financial standing, are honoring our commitments to Iowans, and continue to make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family. 

Grant opportunities make Iowa a great place

Disaster recovery grants for the arts

The Iowa Arts Council has received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for Iowa artists and arts organizations recovering from storm damage.

Some of the dollars will go to the 2008 Emergency Arts Relief program, which provides up to $500 for immediate recovery needs.  Others will be used for larger grants and stipends generally ranging from $3,000 - $6,000.

Disaster-affected Iowa artists and Iowa arts organizations that are nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, and located in a state- or federally-declared disaster area are eligible to apply.  Complete information and applications are available at www.iowaartscouncil.org.

Internship grants for local businesses

Working with Iowa young people can be a great win-win opportunity for local businesses.  The Iowa Student Internship Program is now accepting applications from local businesses interested in providing internships to Iowa college students.

Companies are eligible to apply for up to three internships, which are worth $3,100 each. The program is available to Iowa-based companies that:

• Have fewer than 500 employees, with a significant portion employed within Iowa in biosciences, advanced manufacturing or information technology.
  
  
• Offer internships to students of Iowa community colleges, private colleges, or regent institutions within two years of graduation.
  
  
• Create a substantive working experience for interns in research and development, engineering, process management and production, product experimentation and analysis, product development, market research, business planning and administration.

For more information, visit www.iowalifechanging.com/business/innov&comm.html

Community grants for home weatherization

The Iowa Utilities Board is coordinating a community-based initiative to weatherize homes for Iowans in need before the winter heating season.

A community grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities with a population of 10,000 or less to educate residents on weatherization and energy efficiency. 

The Utilities Board is also offering matching grants of up to $500 to organizations throughout Iowa. These grants are to be used to weatherize homes and provide educational materials for Iowa’s low-income families, elderly or disabled individuals.

More information is available at www.state.ia.us/iub.