Strawn: Governor Culver Demonstrates Repeated Lack of Executive Leadership

RPI Chairman Strawn calls on Culver to end pattern

Des Moines, IA – Today Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn issued the following statement criticizing Governor’s Culver’s repeated lack of leadership on critical issues, including oversight of the Department of Economic Development.

Watch the statement by going to www.youtube.com/iowagop.


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Iowa Republicans announce state-based health care reforms

“Iowa Health Care Initiatives” focus on accessibility, affordability, and portability

Cedar Rapids, IA – Republican Party of Iowa State Chairman Matt Strawn today joined State Senator David Johnson, State Representative Linda Upmeyer, and Cedar Rapids health care professional Cynthia Roehr at Kirkwood Community College’s new Healthcare Simulation Center to announce a series of bold state-based health care initiatives.

“Market-based solutions with minimal state interference, not a sweeping federal takeover, are the key to making health insurance in Iowa more accessible, affordable, and portable,” said Strawn in announcing the Iowa GOP’s “Iowa Health Care Initiatives.”

The Health Care Initiatives are: 1) Accessibility: adopt the Patients Right to Know Act and provide low cost catastrophic health plans for those under age 30; 2) Affordability: pass medical malpractice and tort reform, expand health insurance tax deductibility to individuals and all small businesses, and provide prevention credits that reduce premium costs when successfully participating in wellness activities; and, 3) Portability: prohibit exclusions for pre-existing conditions when changing plans with the same insurance provider.

“Republicans have real plans to increase the accessibility of health insurance without a massive government takeover of the system. With more than half of all Iowa’s uninsured age 18-30 we can make a huge dent in this number by simply incenting insurance carriers to create a basic insurance product at a modest price point,” said Rep. Upmeyer, a health-care professional who also serves as second-ranking Republican in the Iowa House.

Senator Johnson said, “We can take bold steps to reduce health costs. We can free doctors from the need to practice defensive medicine. We can expand the tax deductibility of health insurance premiums. We can create a true financial incentive for individual Iowans and their employers to participate in wellness programs,” said Sen. Johnson, who serves as Assistant GOP Leader in the Iowa Senate.

Strawn concluded, “The Healthcare Simulation Center here at Kirkwood and the training they are doing here is a great example of what is right with our health care system. However, Iowa Republicans understand our system is far from perfect and we offer these initiatives in a good faith effort to fix that which is broken without breaking that which serves Iowans well.”

In the coming months the Republican Party of Iowa, in conjunction with Iowa House and Senate Republicans, will continue to travel the state and offer additional solution sets on such issues as education, family, energy, environment, and transparency and ethics.

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A MILLION Reasons Why Grontsal & Dems Stymie Real Education Reform

Strawn: Time for Democrats to put our kids before their campaign cash

Des Moines, IA – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn today said that in the days following the unveiling of Republican public education reform initiatives, leading Iowa Democrats have continued to demonstrate a stunning defense of the status quo and reflexive opposition to new ideas for improving Iowa’s public education system.

This Tuesday, Strawn was joined by Republican legislative leaders in a news conference to outline the Iowa School House Initiatives, a series of bold educational reforms to set high academic standards, test students and teachers to ensure those standards are being met, and keep parents and taxpayers fully informed of on-going progress.

In an Associated Press article posted Wednesday titled “Gronstal rejects Iowa GOP education plan,’ Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal flatly rejected the Republican initiatives and instead focused on raising teacher pay.

Strawn said, “When it comes to bold initiatives to reform our public educational system and focus resources on standards and accountability tools that will actually improve student performance, Republicans are the Party of new ideas and solutions while Democrats say NO and defend the status quo.

“It should come as no surprise that Senator Gronstal and Democrat leaders in this state are resistant to real reform. Since 2003, Gronstal, other Democrat legislative leaders, and the Iowa Democratic Party have received nearly $1 million in campaign contributions to maintain a status quo system that narrows the definition of educational success to teacher pay and teacher pay only,” said Strawn.

From January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2008, the combined contributions from the Iowa State Education Association to Senator Gronstal, Senate President Jack Kibbie, House Speaker Pat Murphy, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and the Iowa Democratic Party totaled $994,900. Contribution data was compiled using the online search engine on the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure website (2003 is the first year such data is available using the online search engine).

Strawn concluded, “As the son of an educator, a parent of two young children, and a product of Iowa’s public schools, I will not sit idly by and watch our state’s educational system slip into mediocrity. The best teachers in the world cannot right this ship without the kinds of tools our educational reform agenda brings to the table. Iowa Republicans will continue to bring forth a bold agenda that serves the needs of our students, teachers, parents and taxpayers. I encourage Senator Gronstal and his Democrat colleagues to start putting our kids before their campaign cash.”

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APPENDIX:
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE ISEA PAC TO SENATOR GRONSTAL, SENATOR KIBBIE,
REPRESENTATIVE MURPHY, AND REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTHY (2003-2008)

Date Received By Amount

11/6/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
11/5/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $2,500.00
10/30/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $2,500.00
10/29/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $20,000.00
10/29/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
10/23/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $30,000.00
10/16/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $18,500.00
10/15/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $44,000.00
10/3/2008 #464 Kibbie for Senate $27,750.00
9/30/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $8,000.00
9/26/2008 #564 Murphy for State Representative $14,500.00
9/25/2008 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $14,500.00
9/9/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,500.00
8/23/2008 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $50,000.00
8/23/2008 #564 Murphy for State Representative $25,000.00
8/22/2008 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $25,000.00
8/5/2008 #564 Murphy for State Representative $25,000.00
7/31/2008 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $50,000.00
7/31/2008 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $25,000.00
7/9/2008 #564 Murphy for State Representative $25,000.00
7/2/2008 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $50,000.00
7/2/2008 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $25,000.00
5/16/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
5/8/2008 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $1,000.00
4/1/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
2/14/2008 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
1/12/2008 #564 Murphy for State Representative $750.00
1/10/2008 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $750.00
10/17/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $4,500.00
9/28/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
9/18/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
6/1/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $500.00
5/21/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $2,500.00
3/28/2007 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
1/6/2007 #564 Murphy for State Representative $500.00
1/5/2007 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $500.00
10/27/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
10/25/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
10/25/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $10,000.00
10/17/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $45,000.00
10/17/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $30,000.00
10/6/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $20,000.00
9/18/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $15,000.00
9/18/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $15,000.00
9/13/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
8/16/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $10,000.00
8/15/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $50,000.00
7/24/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $25,000.00
7/19/2006 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $100.00
7/10/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $75,000.00
7/6/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $30,000.00
6/26/2006 #564 Murphy for State Representative $100.00
6/20/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $25,000.00
5/15/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $4,000.00
4/11/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
3/15/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
1/9/2006 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
1/6/2006 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $500.00
11/2/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
10/26/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $2,000.00
8/15/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
6/30/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $60.00
6/21/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
6/13/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $250.00
5/18/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $391.90
3/9/2005 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $500.00
10/18/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $15,000.00
10/12/2004 #1385 McCarthy for State Representative $250.00
10/8/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
10/6/2004 #464 Kibbie for Senate $1,500.00
10/6/2004 #564 Murphy for State Representative $500.00
9/29/2004 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $1,500.00
7/27/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
7/27/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $0.00
6/17/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $30,000.00
6/17/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $25,000.00
1/11/2004 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $500.00
11/23/2003 #1612 Citizens for Gronstal $1,500.00
11/14/2003 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $5,000.00
8/21/2003 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
6/13/2003 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $1,000.00
5/20/2003 #9098 Iowa Democratic Party $500.00

$994,901.90

Source: Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Commission

Fact Chet!

Governor misleads Iowans about state spending—AGAIN!

Statement from Governor Culver

Discussing the state budget, Governor Culver said: “We’re actually spending less in 2010–two-and-a-half percent less than we did in 2008.”

Source: Des Moines Register, 9-17-09. Click here.

Fact Check

Governor Culver’s statement is deceptive and misleading. Due to the receipt and expenditure of one-time federal stimulus money to backfill shortfalls in general fund revenue, state spending in 2010 is actually higher than in 2008.

State general fund appropriations in 2008 (understanding there was no federal stimulus aid to the states in 2008) totaled $5.9 billion.

State general fund appropriations in 2010 (including the $530 million in general fund expenditures being funded by federal stimulus receipts) totaled $6.3 billion.

The loss of this one-time stimulus money is a major portion of the projected $900 million general fund budget hole Governor Culver and Democratic lawmakers have created in the upcoming budget year (FY11).

Source: Legislative Services Agency, 2009 Fiscal Report, July 2009, p. 17 (click here); Auditor of State, David Vaudt, August 2009, p. 20 (click here)



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Iowa GOP Announces Bold Public Education Reform Measures

“Iowa School House Initiatives” focus on accountability and standards

Des Moines, IA – Leading Iowa Republicans today announced a series of public education reform initiatives designed to inject greater accountability, standards and transparency into Iowa’s public education system.

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn joined State Senator Kim Reynolds (R-Osceola) and State Representatives Mike May (R-Spirit Lake) and Jodi Tymeson (R-Winterset) to announce the Iowa School House Initiatives, the second issue series in its “Iowa Republicans: Real Solutions for Iowa’s Families” policy agenda.

“As a proud product of Iowa’s public schools, it is very troubling to watch our once great educational system slip into mediocrity,” said Strawn, noting that recent reports indicate that one in two Iowa high school graduates must take some form of remedial class work when they get to college.

“A quality education is the golden ticket of opportunity for any student in any classroom in this state and I am proud that Republicans are leading with common-sense solutions to benefit this state’s greatest resource – our children.

“Today we are pleased to offer our Iowa School House Initiatives, a set of three common sense solutions to set high academic standards, test students and teachers to ensure those standards are being met, and keep parents and taxpayers fully informed of our progress,” said Strawn.

The Iowa School House Initiatives are: 1) Set academic standards that align achievement with the demands of a global economy—top down “core curriculum” programs focus on inputs, whereas Iowa Republicans are interested in setting outcome standards and empowering local teachers, parents, and school boards with the flexibility to design the necessary programs; 2) Exit exams for graduating students and entrance exams for new teachers—high standards have no value without objective testing to ensure students have met the minimum qualifications and parents have a right to expect new teachers to be proficient in the subjects they teach; and 3) Parent and Taxpayer Right to Know Act—transparency and accountability are keys to successful reform and Republicans will provide parents and taxpayers with the tools to evaluate the performance of their school system.

Representative May said, “As a long-time public school teacher, I know first-hand that low expectations lead to substandard results while high expectations result in high achievement. Our students are capable of being the best in the world and we must establish standards that will prepare them to compete in the global economy.”

Senator Reynolds said, “With roughly 60% of our state budget dedicated to education spending, resources are not the issue. Instead, we must focus the expenditure of those resources on implementing high standards, testing our capacity to meet those standards, and providing parents and taxpayers with transparency and accountability tools. In this way we be will do more than simply talk about a world class education, we will be providing it.”

In the coming months the Republican Party of Iowa, in conjunction with Iowa House and Senate Republicans, will travel the state and offer additional solution sets on such issues as health care, family, energy and the environment, and transparency and ethics.

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Iowa Republicans: Real Solutions for Iowa’s Families
Republicans take the lead on offering bold solutions to Iowa’s problems

ISSUE GROUP #2
Iowa School House Initiatives

With nearly 60% of Iowa’s state budget devoted to some form of education spending, Iowans have every right to expect an educational product that prepares our students for college and/or a career. Unfortunately, even though Iowa students averaged the second highest ACT scores in the nation, a whopping 71%1 of students who took the ACT in 2008/09 were not prepared for college and 50%2 of our graduates must take some form of remedial class work when they get to college.

Most Iowans are justifiably proud of their local public schools. However, we cannot let that pride blind us from the reality that the standards, expectations, and accountability measures that were good enough a decade ago, might no longer be good enough today.

In addition, we must never allow the level of spending on education to be the sole yard stick that measures our success. Our students, teachers, and parents deserve an educational system that aligns our educational products with the needs and demands of a changing world.

Republicans have real solutions to help ensure students and teachers achieve at higher levels while providing parents and taxpayers with greater transparency and accountability for their success. Here is what Republicans will do if Iowa voters give them the opportunity:

Set Core Academic Standards and Empower Local Teaching Professionals
Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have approached academic standards by prescribing a one-size-fits-all, top-down, experiment on our students and teachers. Attempts to create a statewide core curriculum have focused on educational inputs that limit the flexibility of local teachers, parents, and school boards.

Instead, Iowa Republicans propose a series of academic achievement standards that align academic standards in reading, mathematics, history, and science with the demands of the global economy, careers, and further education, so that earning a high school diploma means a high probability of success. Our students are no longer competing with students in the Midwest, but with students in India, Russia, and China. In order to compete internationally, we must have world-class standards. In addition, Iowa Republicans propose to empower Iowa teachers, parents, and local school boards with the authority to determine the content of a local core curriculum and design local programs that help students meet the new state standards.

Exit Exams for Graduating Students and Entrance Exams for New Teachers
Setting high academic standards for our students and teachers is the first step in our educational reform agenda. Step two involves the development and implementation of appropriate testing tools to ensure students have met those standards and teachers are proficient in the subject matters in which they teach.

To be considered proficient in Iowa a student can be ranked as low as the 40th percentile on the ITBS and ITED tests. In 2007-08, 23% of Iowa’s 11th graders did not meet even this watered-down reading proficiency definition, nor did 22% in math3. Yet, in Iowa we graduate over 90% of all Iowa high school students. Republicans view this as a failure of the system and a result of setting low expectations for our students. This doesn’t make any sense and devalues the diplomas awarded to students who actually meet basic academic achievement standards.

Iowa Republicans will work to adopt legislation that requires the development and implementation of rigorous exit examinations in all basic academic subjects for graduating seniors to ensure those receiving diplomas possess the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully compete in the world.

In addition, it is not enough to subject our graduating seniors to such proficiency exams if their teachers have not been asked to go through a similar process. Iowa is one of only a handful of states that does NOT require new incoming teachers to pass basic proficiency exams in the core subject matter they intend to teach4.

The results of a pilot teacher testing program in Iowa showed that 34% of students seeking a teaching license were able to pass either the entrance math or biology test. At the very least, Iowa Republicans will bring forth legislation that requires incoming teachers to pass the same exit exam in their subject matter required of graduating seniors before they can be licensed to teach that subject matter in an Iowa classroom.

Parent and Taxpayer Right to Know Act
The final key to the educational reform process is accountability. Parents and local taxpayers must be provided with the tools to evaluate the performance of their school system and hold local educational authorities accountable.

Republicans have previously passed legislation requiring local school districts to post an annual “Report Card” such that parents and taxpayers are fully informed on the effectiveness of their school system on a wide variety of performance measures.

Unfortunately, Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have quietly passed legislation to gut Iowa’s Report Card system and eliminate the public disclosure of key performance standards such as the percentage of district high school graduates who were not proficient in reading, math, and science. In addition, they struck a requirement that school districts provide written notification to parents when their child is reading below grade level.

This back tracking on the commitment to parents and taxpayers by Iowa Democrats is unacceptable. Republicans promise to not only restore the past performance measures, but to require the development and publication of comprehensive performance measures on an annual basis—including the true cost of educational delivery in each Iowa school district and comparative rankings with similar Iowa school districts.

Iowa Republicans will provide parents and local taxpayers with the necessary tools to hold their school systems accountable for the delivery of an education that meets the academic standards necessary to provide our students with a truly world class education. These tools are provided not as a tool for punishing under-performing school districts, but to provide early identification of problems to encourage a cooperative community effort to solve potential problems and bring their schools to an acceptable level of achievement.


1 American College Testing, August 2009
2 ChetCulver.com
3 Iowa Department of Education
4 National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, 2000b

Iowa Republicans: Real Solutions for Iowa’s Families is a joint project of the Republican Party of Iowa and the Republican Iowa House and Senate Caucuses. Through this project Iowa Republicans will promote a series of bold solutions to the problems facing our state in areas ranging from the budget to education, the environment and energy, family, health care and transparency.
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Liberal, Radical Democrat Announces for Secretary of Agriculture

Thicke’s ultra radical views doomed his reappointment to Environmental Protection Commission

Des Moines, IA – Today Democrat Francis Thicke announced his intention to run for Secretary of Agriculture and oppose current Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey, in the 2010 General Election. Jeffrey Boeyink, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa said, “This is the same Francis Thicke whose radical views on the environment and farming doomed his reappointment to the Environmental Protection Commission. If he is so far out of the mainstream for even liberal Governor Culver to stomach, then he is certainly too liberal to be entrusted with leading our state’s agricultural community.

“Agriculture is serious business in Iowa and now is not the time to experiment with the backbone of Iowa’s economy. Francis Thicke’s radical agenda would spell disaster to the stability and sustainability of our family farmers and the jobs they represent,” said Boeyink.

Boeyink is referring to the fact that in 2007 Governor Culver chose not to reappoint Mr. Thicke and three others to positions on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission.

Boeyink continued, “Bill Northey has served this state with incredible honesty and integrity during his first term as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture. Every year he travels to all 99 counties in Iowa to discuss agricultural issues and answer constituent questions.

“A true ambassador for Iowa’s ag community, Secretary Northey has provided a steady hand at the Department of Agriculture. His focus on urban conservation and expanded use of good farming techniques coupled with efforts to expand wetland restoration and preservation shows an effectively balanced public policy agenda that protects our rural environment while promoting profitable family farms and agri-business throughout Iowa,” concluded Boeyink.

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