School Choice: Not if the Unions Have Any Say

7/29/2019 School Choice: Not if the Unions Have Any Say

1/16

Januar 2013

by

Debrah D. Thrntn

Pubic Interest Institute

Munt Peasant, IA

Sch Chice:Nt if the Unins

Have An Sa

N. 13-01

POLICY

STUDY


2/16Pic Stud 2 Pubic Interest Institute, Januar 2013

PolICy STUDyJanaury 2013

No. 13-01


Dr. Dn Racheter

President

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Cntents

Intrductin 3

The Str f Sch Chice optins 3

An Exampe: onine Gvernment Schs 5

Criticisms f onine Educatin 6

Sch Chice Critics in Iwa 8

Eected officehders 8

Iwa State Educatin Assciatin 10

AFSCME 10

Appinted Sch Administratrs 11

Cncusin 12

Endntes 14

Sch Chice:

Nt if the Unins

Have An Sa



As a powerful,

well-funded forcein local, state, and

national politics

these unions are

engaged in a

continuous battle

to resist

educational reformand

defend the status

quo.

School Choice:

Not if theUnions Have

Any Say

Intrductin

School-choice options

including private schools, open

enrollment, charter schools,

school-tuition organizations,

and online education have been

proving their value for more

than a decade. Yet despite

documented success, these

school options continue to face

stiff resistance from entrenched

factions in the traditional

education establishment.

Among the most stubborn

opponents of parents deciding

where and how their children

are educated is organizedlabor, specifically the teachers

and government unions. As

a powerful, well-funded force

in local, state, and national

politics these unions are

engaged in a continuous battle

to resist educational reform and

defend the status quo.

Financed in Iowa by

millions of dollars taken

from teachers and othergovernment workers

paychecks, the Iowa State

Education Association (ISEA)

and American Federation of

State, County, and Municipal

Employees (AFSCME) unions

contribute heavily to local,

state, and federal elected

officials, whether partisan or

non-partisan elections. Onceelected, these officials decide

how much money to pay the

teachers and bureaucrats. The

money comes from the voters

and taxpayers.

Unsurprisingly, the

elected officials the unions

contribute to are nearly 100

percent Democrats. The

Democrats in the Iowa

Legislature do not support

school choice, but advocate

strongly for increased teacher

pay, smaller class sizes, new

buildings, and correspondingly

higher numbers of well-paid

administrators though the

numbers of students educated

in Iowa continues to fall and

though student achievement

remains stagnant. The

individuals hired by the

officials then contribute to the

unions from their paychecks.

And round the money goes.

The Str f Sch

Chice optins

Since the alarm sounded

almost 30 years ago by

publication of the 1983 A

Nation at Risk report by

the National Commission on

Excellence in Education little

has been accomplished to makefundamental improvements in

schools and stem Americas

declining educational

attainment.1 Today, Americans

and Iowans are competing

against a global workforce

thats becoming better educated

every year. Meanwhile, our

childrens education test scores

are slipping, and America has

lost its global lead and braggingrights as the country sending

the highest percentage of young

people to college.2

Fully one-quarter of

U.S. students dont finish

high school, and 30 percent

of those who do graduate

dont do well enough in



math, science, and English

to serve in the military.3 A

significant number dont do

well enough to be considered

college ready. Nationally,

in African American and

Hispanic communities, over a

third of high school students

never receive diplomas.4 The

academic achievements of

minority and low-income

students in Iowa follow a

similar pattern. The traditional

educational system is failing

our young people, the future of

our country. Our parents and

families understand this.

In response to parentaldissatisfaction with failing

government schools and

demands for more options

to address students unique

learning needs, lawmakers

nationwide have ushered

in an unprecedented era of

school reform over the past

decade, and especially during

the last two years. Across

the elementary and secondaryeducation landscape, there has

been a proliferation of public

charter schools, public online

schools, open-enrollment

policies, and school-choice-

support efforts such as tuition

scholarships and non-profit

tuition organizations. In many

states and communities these

reforms have for the first timetruly empowered parents to

make personal decisions about

their childrens needs, and

where to send their children to

school.

Parents enthusiasm is

reflected in the impressive

growth of school-choice

options, as documented below.

Twenty states permit

students to open-enroll in

a government school outside

their residential district.5 This

was implemented in Iowa

back during Governor Terry

Branstads first term in office

over 20 years ago (1990-

91), and is very popular for

a variety of reasons. Over

26,000 students currently use

the open-enrollment option.

Yet, when talking about issues

related to it last July, Anamosa

Superintendent Brian Ney

expressed what seems to be acommon sentiment, Were

trying not to make it easy for

other people to send their kids

out.6

Eleven states currently

offer scholarship-tax-credit

programs, serving over 125,000

students in 2011-2012. These

states are as varied as Arizona,

Florida, Indiana, Iowa,

Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, andRhode Island; and students can

access state-supported tax-

credit tuition scholarships to

enroll in a private school.7 The

Iowa allowable School Tuition

Organization (STO) tax-credit

limit was raised in 2012 to

$8.75 million.8

Approximately 250,000

students, from 30 states, were

enrolled in full-time online

K-12 government schools

during the 2010-2011 school

year, compared to about

50,000 ten years earlier, and

a 25 percent increase over the

previous year.9 The first online

programs were authorized in

The traditional

educational systemis failing

our young people,

the future of our

country.

Our parents and

families understand

this.

School Choice:



Not if the

UnionsHave Any Say

Iowa this year, in the Clayton

Ridge and Cumberland, Anita,

and Massena (CAM) school

districts.

Over 2 million

government school students

are enrolled in public charter

schools, in 41 states and the

District of Columbia, as of

the fall of 2012.10 In Iowa the

charter school movement has

been virtually non-existent,

hobbled by a stringent

regulatory burden.

Previous Public Interest

Institute POLICY STUDIES on

school choice include, #12-6:

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of theWay: School Choice in Iowa,

with additional work in 2011.

To quote Newtons Third

Law of Motion, For every

action, there is an equal and

opposite reaction. These and

other reforms have frequently

been opposed by powerful

vested interests with a stake

in keeping students enrolled

in the traditional governmenteducation monopoly.

State laws historically

required every child within a

specified geographic area to

report to a district-sponsored

public brick-and-mortar school

building for a structured

180 days of prescribed and

uniform class periods. While

this system has served, andcontinues to serve many

students sufficiently well,

it increasingly struggles to

ensure ever student access

to an adequate 21st-century

education.

Further, despite its chronic

failings, the incumbent system

is strongly defended by those

who have historically thrived

there: school administrators

and their unionized teaching

faculties.

An Exampe:onine Gvernment

Schs

More than half the states in

the U.S. have statewide online

government schools. Online

education has been available in

some form for at least ten years

now, moving from a novelty to

a serious educational option.

Online government schools

in the form of online charter

schools and multi-district

online schools are enrolling

students at a record pace. As

evidence of this demand from

students and parents, some

states show 50 percent growth

year over year from 2010 to

2011.11

Indiana, Maine, andTennessee recently acted to

either begin allowing, or to

expand, their full-time, online

schools.12 In particular in 2011

the Indiana Legislature passed

House Bill 1002, which ended

their pilot program and moved

to allow virtual charter schools

as of the 2011-2012 school

year.13 At this time the Indiana

Connections Academy (INCA)is offering a full, K-12 virtual

charter school program.14

While not intended or

best suited for every student,

online schools can deliver

personalized, flexible

instruction that is proving

highly effective for many

While not intended

or best suited for

every student, online

schools can deliver

presonalized, flexibleinstruction that

is proving highly

effective for many

students individual

learning needs.

Online schools are

especially helpfulto both gifted and

talented students,

and those with

special needs or

health issues.



students individual learning

needs. Online schools are

especially helpful to both

gifted and talented students,

and those with special needs or

health issues. Flexibility is an

important aspect of the online

school option.

In case of social problems

such as bullying or dangerous

schools, online education can

be a lifesaver. Students from

both rural and urban areas

can find online schools useful

often neither one can take the

classes they need and want in a

traditional setting. Others who

have used online schools arereturning and summer-school

students, who may have unique

needs or be unable to attend at

traditional hours and settings.

In Iowa the two districts

offering online schools are

both small, rural districts

(Clayton Ridge and CAM)

concerned about the decline in

their student numbers, ability

to offer advanced classes tointerested students, and services

for challenged students.

The popular Iowa open-

enrollment system allows

them to recruit students from

any other district. With open

enrollment, the money to

educate the student comes

with the child. This will

bring money into these smalldistricts. The potential

attractiveness of online

education to homeschooling

families was another selling

point. The administrators in

these districts looked at this

information and decided to

offer online educational choice.

Students from both

rural and urbanareas can find

online schools

useful often

neither one can take

the classes they

need and want in a

traditional setting.

As might be predicted,

the establishment reacted

negatively.

Criticisms f

onine Educatin

Throughout the campaign

against online government

schools, nationwide and in

Iowa, the same themes voiced

by critics are remarkably

consistent:

For-profit education

management organizations

servicing online schools

are unduly profiting fromtaxpayer dollars.

In reality, online schools

are not for-profit schools.

The Clayton Ridge and CAM

districts are contracting

with a vendor to provide

the curriculum and teaching

services. The vendor is not

the school, the vendor is theeducation service provider.

The students will receive their

degrees from the normal,

accredited school.

The United States spends

over $500 billion a year on

traditional school districts

much of this money goes to

profit-making businesses.

For decades districts

nationwide and in Iowahave paid private, for-profit

companies for products and

services. Thousands of dollars

of taxpayers money is used

for products and services such

as school construction, busing,

food, textbooks, computers and

School Choice:


7/16Pic Stud Pubic Interest Institute, Januar 2013

technology, and instructional

services.15

These companies, some

major, national corporations

such as McGraw-Hill and

Scholastic, all make a profit

from taxpayer dollars. Others

are local, small businesses who

provide such services as lawn

mowing, printing services,

electrical and plumbing repairs,

bus drivers, instrument repair,

or food products. Companies

that provide curriculum,

staffing, or other support for

non-profit online schools

are in the same category as

these traditional and acceptedsuppliers.

Taxpayer money intended

to achieve academic

objectives is being diverted

to business purposes such

as advertising.

About 80 percent of online

school funds go to costs

related to student instruction.This compares favorably

to traditional brick-and-

mortar schools.16 A corollary

argument could also be made

concerning the advertising

and business purposes costs

of companies which provide

construction, landscaping,

transportation, textbooks, food,

printing, athletic and musicequipment, and other important

support for brick-and-mortar

schools. These businesses all

make a profit and all use the

money paid to them by schools

for their services, for expenses

such as advertising.

Government school options

create a dual system.

Online schools are helping

hundreds of thousands of

students of all backgrounds

succeed.17 Children with

special needs or medical

conditions and those struggling

in traditional classrooms are

part of this group. So are

victims of bullying, violence, or

other negative social issues in

traditional schools.

Online education also often

benefits advanced learners, kids

who are frequently bored by

the regimented pace and one-size-fits-all teaching approach

of traditional schools. A major

complaint of many parents is

that their childs individual

needs are not being met in

traditional settings online

schools effectively address this

issue.

Many choice schools are

poor quality and haveacademic failings.

There is evidence to

suggest that online schools may

outperform many brick-and-

mortar schools. A 2009 U.S.

Department of Education report

concluded that students who

took all or part of their class

online performed better, onaverage, than those taking the

same course through traditional

face-to-face instruction.18

The teachers providing

the education through online

schools are licensed, just as

regular school teachers are.

Not if the

UnionsHave Any Say

A major complaint

of many parents isthat their childs

individual needs are

not being met

in traditional

settings online

schools effectively

address this issue.



They are qualified to teach

students.

Additionally, the academic

failings of the regular schools

are well documented. Students

who choose alternative

education options are by

definition not satisfied with

what they have received so

far, and this may be reflected

in poor achievement scores or

grades. Evidence of a students

success should be based on

their individual growth over

time. The point is that cookie-

cutter educational approaches

do not work, and we must

provide options that best serveevery child.

Students lack adequate

opportunities to learn

through social interactions.

National studies show that

students in online schools are

as well socialized as students

in traditional schools.19 In

fact, many students who suffernegative social experiences in

traditional schools find healthy

and positive socialization

in online schools. Beyond

the virtual classroom, online

schools can offer social

opportunities for students such

as field trips, school clubs, and

other extracurricular activities

very much like traditionalschools.20

As one example, the

Indiana Connections Academy

offers group eco-tours, cultural,

history, government, and math/

science field-trip opportunities,

as well as volunteer and service

activities, robotics, debate, and

chess clubs.21

Sch Chice

Critics in Iwa

Critics voicing objections

to school choice in Iowa,and most recently to online

government schools, are the

usual suspects. There are three

recurring sources: elected

officials more often than not

Democrats funded by the ISEA

and AFSCME, school district

administrators protecting their

turf, and finally academics

affiliated with universities or

liberal think tanks.All three types of critics

have vested financial interests

in siding with the leading

opponents of school-choice

options: the teachers and

government unions. This paper

will look closely at the key

opponents of school choice

elected officials funded by

the teachers and unions, andappointed administrators tasked

with leading our education

system.

The financial stake some

elected officials and school

district administrators have

in attacking school options

is clear, based on their

relationships with unions.

Eected officehders

Charged with drafting,

voting on, and implementing

legislation that affects

education, elected and

appointed officials are on the

leading edge of the school

options debates. Many have

National studies

show that studentsin online schools

are as well

socialized as

students in

traditional

schools.

School Choice:


9/16Pic Stud Pubic Interest Institute, Januar 2013

strong ties to teachers unions

and school administrators in

their states. Below are quotes

from two elected officials,

as reported by the media,

questioning school choice

in general, and specifically

questioning online schools.

Iwa State Senatr Tm

Curtne (D-Buringtn):

But the debate over the

two schools in question is about

whether we want to hand over

the education of thousands of

Iowa children to for-profit,

out-of-state companies thatwill rely on 100 percent online

classes, said Courtney.22

Senator Courtney

has received $1,900 over

three election cycles from

educational interest groups

and individuals.23 He is a

former UAW member, and

has received almost $38,500

in union contributions while

in office. In 2012 he receivedalmost $4,500 from both

national and local labor

unions.24 Additionally, in

the last two years Courtney

received $36,483 through in-

kind contributions from the

Iowa Democrat Party.

Iwa State Senatr Td

Bwman (D-Maquketa):

Though saying he

appreciates school choice

in his role as a parent and

educator, when discussing

the use of open enrollment

for student athletes, he said,

The bottom line of it from my

As a first-time

candidate, Senator

Bowman basically

had the election

bought for him bythe unions and

Iowa Democrat

Party, winning by

less than 75 votes.

This was a key

race in determining

control of the IowaSenate,

which ended up

26 D - 24 R

in 2012.

perspective is that its taking

away the integrity of high

school athletics.25

Senator Bowman is an

intimate member of the

educational establishment, as a

teacher and wrestling coast at

Maquoketa High School, where

he is also the President of the

Maquoketa Area Education

Association.

First elected in 2010, he

received $1,000 from the

Iowa teachers union and

almost $2,300 from AFSCME.

General union contributions

exceed $16,000, and Iowa

Democrat Party contributionsexceed $60,000.26 As a

first-time candidate, Senator

Bowman basically had the

election bought for him by the

unions and Iowa Democrat

Party, winning by less than 75

votes. This was a key race in

determining control of the Iowa

Senate, which ended up 26 D

24 R in 2012.

Bowman serves onthe Education and Local

Government Committees.27

In May 2012, he voted yes

on SF 2284, Education Law

Amendments, which would

limit the statewide enrollment

of students in educational

instruction that is delivered

primarily over the Internet to

no more than 0.18 percent ofthe statewide enrollment of all

students and no more than 1

percent of a sending districts

total enrollment.28

Additionally, he supported

amendments which would

have limited the amount of

online education children could

Not if the

UnionsHave Any Say



receive to less than 50 percent

of their total education.

Some children may take

advantage of online school

choice, but not all and even

those children could only use

online education 50 percent

of the time. In a small district

with less 500 students the size

of many Iowa school districts

this would limit the number

of children using this school-

choice method to a grand total

of five, with an effective Full-

Time Equivalency (FTE) of 2.5

students.

Bowman has also received

$1,100 in contributions fromthe Bridgepoint Education

PAC. Bridgepoint, based in

San Diego, California, owns

Ashford University, an online

college based in Clinton, Iowa

which has been investigated

by the U.S. Senate for poor

graduation rates and high

student debt.29

Apparently Senator

Bowman supports onlineeducation in some instances,

but not others.

Iwa State Educatin

Assciatin

A large amount of the

money received and spent by

the Iowa Democrat Party in

2012 originated with the IowaState Education Association

(ISEA). During the 2012

election cycle the Iowa

Democrat Party received over

$600,000 from the ISEA.30 If

you go back to 2003, it totals

over $1.5 million.

Further, almost 100 percent

of the ISEA political action

committee donations going

directly to candidates for State

House and State Senate go to

the Democrats who support

their anti-school choice

education positions. From

2008 to 2012 this totaled over

$500,000. 31 Both Bowman and

Courtney have received support

from the ISEA.

In looking at the longer-

term picture the total amount

the Iowa teachers union poured

into political campaigns with

money received from their

members, who were originally

paid with taxpayer money was over $2.3 million.

AFSCME

AFSCME contributed

almost $750,000 between 2008

and 2012 to either the Iowa

Democrat Party or Democrat

County Committees.32 Another

$550,000 was donated to State

Representative or State Senate

Campaigns, all except for

$1,000 to Democrats.33 The

money they spent, when you

review all contributions back to

2003, was almost $2 million.

Again, this was money

collected from their workers,

who are originally paid by

taxpayer dollars, being used

to buy influence with the verysame Legislators who are

responsible for collecting the

money to pay them. Round and

round the money goes.

There are other examples.

Despite the obvious and

publicly disclosed financial

ties between the anti-school-

Again, this was

money collected

from their workers,

who are originally

paid by taxpayerdollars, being used

to buy influence

with the very same

Legislators who

are responsible for

collecting the

money to pay them.Round and round

the money goes.

School Choice:



choice options teachers

and government workers

unions and elected officials,

many people treat these

officials as neutral, objective

commentators on the validity

and effectiveness of school

choice.

At the very least,

responsible voters should

be aware of these financial

ties when considering the

Legislative actions. They are

not unbiased decision makers.

If there were not significant

concerns, nationally, about

how campaign contributions

and campaign spending mightinfluence elected officeholders,

requirements like those of the

Iowa Campaign and Ethics

Disclosure Board would not

have been necessary. This

data allows voters to see who

might be influencing policy

decisions. Responsible citizens

and journalists should use this

knowledge in evaluating the

credibility of school choiceopponents.

Appinted Sch

Administratrs

Administrators of

government school districts are

another frequently cited source

in negative school choice

articles.When thought of as CEOs

of monopolies, their anti-

competitive point of view

comes as no surprise. The

first instinct of any defender

of a monopoly is to attack a

new innovative entrant in the

marketplace, not to compete.

Similarly, instead of responding

to the innovation and choice

brought by the presence of an

online school by improving

their own educational offerings,

school administrators have

attacked the quality of their

new competitors. You need

only to follow the money to

understand why.

In the minds of many

administrators, students are not

wards to be educated. Instead,

students represent enrollments

valued for the tax dollars they

bring to a traditional school

budgets bottom line. The

larger the budget, the largerthe administrators salary and

benefits.

Below are some recent

comments reported in the

Iowa media from K-12

administrators and college

professors questioning

education choice.

Universit f Nrthern

Iwa Cege f Educatin,Prfessr Emeritus Barr

Wisn:

In October the Friedman

Foundation for Educational

Choice released a new report

analyzing administrative

overhead in government school

districts, from data by the U.S.

Department of Education.Their analysis found that

even though Iowas K-12

student population declined by

slightly less than one percent

between fiscal 1992 and 2009,

the number of administrators

and other nonteaching staff

jumped by nearly 26 percent.34

Not if the

UnionsHave Any Say

Responsible Voters

should be awareof these

financial ties

when considering

the Legislative

actions.

They are not

unbiased decisionmakers.



The Cedar Rapids Gazette

reported on this information,

appropriately raising the issue

of administrative overhead

versus teachers.

In response, Professor

Wilson called the report a

piece of trash, and further

denigrated the Friedman

Foundation for Educational

Choice saying that as a

result of their work, Public

education is being trashed by

people who see it as a business

opportunity.35

Hudsn Cmmunit

Superintendent Tn Vss:

We need kids and young

adults that when they graduate

from our institutions and go on

to colleges and careers that are

able to work collaboratively

and communicate with each

other, said Tony Voss,

superintendent at Hudson,

which enrolls 720 students.

When commenting specificallyabout online schools he said,

Im not convinced sitting in

front of a computer screen six

to eight hours a day that they

know how to communicate.

They are becoming more

and more isolated and

withdrawn.36

With fewer than 720

students K-12 only 251 inhigh school and losing more

each year, Hudson is one of

Iowas financially challenged

districts. Enrollment is down

from almost 800 in 2006-2007

and expected to fall to less

than 650 by the 2016-2017

school year.37 Yet two items

in this years budget almost

$245,000 to construct a high

school parking lot and Voss

approximate $100,000 annual

salary represent a cost of

nearly $480 per pupil, which

will continue to rise.38

When evaluating school

administrators criticism of

school choice, journalists and

taxpayers must keep in mind

the fact that administrators

have direct financial interests

in dissuading students in their

districts from enrolling in

alternative schools.

As illustrated by these

examples many elected officialsand school administrators

opposed to school choice have

close financial ties with and

among each other, that call into

question their ability to fully

and independently evaluate

or support these options. The

financial ties exclude the

children and parents who are

supposed to be at the center

of public education they donot control the money or the

decision makers, for their own

benefit.

Cncusin

As beneficial as school

choice including online

government schools, open

enrollment, the Iowa SchoolTuition Organizations, private

schools, and homeschooling

options have been and will

continue to be for our children

they are increasingly under

attack by well-organized and

vocal opponents. Many of

these individuals and groups

When

evaluating school

administrators

criticism of

school choice,journalists and

taxpayers must

keep in mind

the fact that

administrators have

direct financial

interests indissuading students

in their districts

from enrolling in

alternative schools.

School Choice:



have financial ties to and are

openly funded by teachers

and government workers

unions.

Organizations such as the

National Education Association

and its many state affiliates,

including the Iowa State

Education Association, make

up the largest single block

opposed to school-choice

options.

They are opposed to

virtually every educational

option except for our children

sitting in chairs in front of

their approved and licensed

membership. This is whetheror not the children sitting

in those chairs are actually

learning.

Groups such as AFSCME

are concentrated on protecting

their government jobs and

salaries, no matter what is

happening with the workers

making the tax money which

pays them.

Rather than be a force forchange and reform, they have

chosen to support the status

quo. In their zeal to protect

their livelihoods, they have lost

sight of the goal of ensuring

that all children whether rich

or poor, urban or rural have

access to the types of schools

that best match their unique

learning needs.While the teachers and

government unions are upfront

about their opposition to school

choice, the news stories quoting

many of the most vocal critics

fail to report the financial

relationships between the critics

and unions. The publics right

Not if the

UnionsHave Any Say

to know would be better served

if voters and taxpayers know

and understand these financial

relationships and how the

critics personally benefit from

giving voice to the unions

argument against school choice.

Further, the working

members of these unions also

need to know and understand

where their hard-earned money

paid in dues and donations

is going. They should be

aware of the fact that nearly

100 percent of this money is

going to only one political

party the Iowa Democrats,

and that it amounts to hundredsof thousands of dollars every

election cycle.

It is highly unlikely that

100 percent of teachers and

government workers are

registered Democrats, yet

Democrat efforts hinder the

education of our children

by opposing, virtually sight

unseen, any suggestion for

improving the knowledge,skills, and abilities of our

children.

The union members

themselves must start taking

a closer look at where their

money is going, whom it is

supporting, and what their long-

term goals are. Then they must

stand up and insist on changes.

Other POLICY STUDIES onSchool Choice include: #12-6,Lead, Follow, or Get Out of theWay: School Choice in Iowa;#11-8, We Must Find CommonGround, Childrens Livesare Wasting; and #11-3,Monopolizing and Derailingthe Education Freedom Train,.

The union members

themselvesmust start taking a

closer look at where

their money is going,

whom it is

supporting,

and what their

long-term goals are.Then they must stand

up and insist on

changes.



(Endnotes)

1 A Nation at Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform, National Commission on Excellence in

Education, 1983, accessed September 10, 2012.2 Tamar Lewin, Once a Leader, U.S Lags in College Degrees, The New York Times, July 23, 2012, accessed September 10, 2012.3 Juan Williams, Why Condoleezza Rice could change everything for Romney, FoxNews.com, May 1,

2012, accessed September 10, 2012.4 Kelsey Sheehy, Graduation Rate Increase Propelled by Latino Achievement, U.S. News and World

Report, June 13, 2012, accessed September 10, 2012, and Lyndsey

Layton, High school graduation rate rises in U.S., The Washington Post, March 19, 2012, accessed September 4, 2012.5Open Enrollment: Online Database, Education Commission of the States, accessed September 10, 2012.6 Some East Iowa Parents dislike open enrollment rules, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, July 22, 2012, accessed on December 4,

2012.7 Scholarship Tax Credit Programs in the United States, American Federation for Children, accessed September 6, 2012.8 Iowa Tax Credits Available for Individual Income, Corporation Income, and Franchise Tax, State of Iowa,

July 1, 2012, pp. 11-12, accessed on December 3, 2012.9 John Watson et.al., Keeping Pace with Online Learning 2011, An Annual Review of Policy and Practice,

The Evergreen Education Group, November 2011, p. 5, accessed September 10, 2012.10 Charter Schools 101: The Most Frequently Asked Questions, Fact Sheets for Reporters, National

Alliance for Public Charter Schools, accessed September 6, 2012.11 John Watson and Butch Gemin, A Parents Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program, International

Association for K-12 Online Learning, p. 2, accessed on September 30, 2012.12 John Watson et.al., Keeping Pace. 2011, p. 5.13 Ibid., p. 16.14 Indiana Department of Education Authorizes Major Expansion for Connections Academy Statewide

Virtual School, June 2, 2011, accessed on October 4, 2012.15 Collin Hitt, Private Sector Educators, Government school Students: A Survey and Overview of

Instructional Service Privatization in Illinois Public Schools, Illinois Policy Institute, February 27, 2009,

accessed September 30, 2012.16 Susan Patrick, Funding and Policy Frameworks: Virtual Education, The North American Council for

Online Learning, and Auginblick, Palaich

and Associates, Costs and Funding of Virtual Schools, Bell South Foundation, October 2, 2006.17 Virtual School and 21st Century Skills, The North American Council for Online Learning and the

Partnership for 21st Century Skills, November 2006, accessed September 29, 2012.18 Steve Lohr, Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom, The New York Times, August 19,

2009,

accessed September 10, 2012.19 Michael Horn, The Socialization Question, The Huffington Post, October 19, 2010, accessed September 10, 2012,



and Jay Sivin-Kachala and Ellen Bialo, Evaluation of the Social Skills of Full-Time, Online Public School

Students, Interactive Educational Systems Design, May 2009, accessed on December 4, 2012.20 John Watson and Butch Gemin, Socialization in Online Programs, North American Council for Online

Learning, Evergreen Consulting Associates, September 2008, accessed September 10, 2012.21 Socialization and Community, Indiana Connections Academy, accessed on October 4, 2012.22 Does Iowa Really Want Online Schools? Editorial, The Des Moines Register, March 15, 2012, accessed on September 10, 2012.23 Tom Courtney, National Institute on Money in State Politics, accessed on October 3, 2012.24 Courtney for State Senate Committee, Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, accessed on November 14, 201225 Andrew Petersen, Open Enrollment, Quad City Times, August 28, 2011, accessed on November 30, 2012.26 Tod Bowman Iowa Campaign and Ethics Disclosure Board, accessed on December 3, 2012.27 State Senator Tod Bowman, Iowa Senate District 13,

accessed on December 3, 2012.28 SF2284 Education Law Amendments Key Vote, Project Votesmart, accessed on December 3, 2012.29 Bridgepoint Education, Inc. U.S. Senate, 2012, accessed on December 6, 2012.30 Iowa State Education Association PAC, Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, accessed on November 14, 2012.31 Ibid.32 AFSCME Pac, Iowa Campaign and Ethics Disclosure Board, accessed on November 14, 2012.33 Ibid.34 Jennifer Hemmingsen, More Fat to Cut from Schools, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, October 27, 2012,

accessed on November 10, 2012.35 The Gazette - What You Said About School Administration, Jennifer Hemmingsen, The Cedar Rapids

Gazette, October 29, 2012, accessed on December 6, 2012.36 Sheeny Dooley, Education Chief: Online Academies Will Face Scrutiny, The Des Moines Register,

February 20, 2012, accessed on September 10, 2012.37 Hudson Community School District Certified Enrollment for the 2001-2012 School Year and Five Year

Enrollment Projections, Hudson Community School District, October 17, 2011, accessed on October 2, 2012.38 Amie Steffen, Marion Educator New Hudson Superintendent, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, May 25,

2012, accessed September 28, 2012, and FY 2013 Budget Adopted and

other board news, March 21, 2012, article by Superintendent Voss in community schools newsletter.


16/16

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School Choice: Not if the Unions Have Any Say