Mason City School Board candidates discuss state funding during forum (AUDIO)

MASON CITY — The five candidates running for the three full terms on the Mason City School Board as well as the incumbent running to fill a vacancy on the board last night discussed several issues during a forum, and state funding to school districts was one of the topics talked about. 

== Incumbent Jacob Schweitzer says the legislature has been underfunding the schools for quite some time and it’s costing taxpayers with that burden being shifted to their property tax bill.  “I’ve noticed it on my property taxes and I’m sure you have as well. What can we do? All we can do is send leaders down to Des Moines and elect them to represent the needs that we have in our community and properly fund us here, and really dollar for dollar that reduces our local property taxes, especially when they are sitting on a surplus.” 

== Incumbent Alan Steckman, whose wife sits as a Democrat member of the Iowa House’s Education Committee, says Republicans in the legislature just don’t want to make education funding a priority.   “When you underfund state contributions to our education system, then it falls on you to pay property taxes. That’s it. That’s simply it. So when the state decides they’re not going to prioritize education, who is? You are.” 

== Challenger Cindy Garza says she always heard about Iowa’s great education system while growing up in Minnesota, but she’s appalled by recent funding decisions made by the legislature.  “I feel that this money keeps getting chipped away and away and away. I don’t have a problem going down to Des Moines and asking people to start looking at our children and wanting to give that extra money back to the schools where it needs to be.” 

== Challenger Carol Dettmer says the district needs to do everything it can to increase enrollment numbers and capture more state dollars that way.  “I think we need to look at our own local enrollment and keep it as high as possible, because it is a business too, and each child will bring dollars from Des Moines. We have to look very real at those numbers and see if we are losing some students and see how we can improve our local area.” 

== Challenger Constance Dianda says people need to get more involved in addressing the funding situation to legislators.   “That’s what it’s going to take is for people to get involved, not only on the school board, but those of you in the audience, to go and meet with the state legislature and have them know you as a person. Not just a phone call, but for them to know me face-to-face so they know what our concerns are.” 

==  There is also a separate election to fill a vacancy on the ballot. Peterson Jean-Pierre, who was appointed to the board to fill a vacancy until the time of this election and is running in an uncontested race. He says people need to question the accountability of legislators.   “You want to continue to hold them accountable as well, so don’t be afraid to make a call and vote your interest that it’s public education, so you want to put them in that position that you know they prioritize public education. That’s the way we get it done, and truly we just have to work with what we’ve got.” 

Wednesday night’s forum was sponsored by the Mason City Education Association. You can listen back to audio from the forum via the audio player below