At the beginning of the month, the Iowa Department of Education released statistics for this school year regarding how many Iowa families utilized the new Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to help pay for non-public school. The results already bust many of the myths told and quiet the fearmongering so widely repeated during the school choice debate last year. more

This week I will explain my continued opposition to the AEA bill.  Before I get into the why I oppose it, I want to acknowledge an opinion that has been nearly unanimous – there is room for improvement in our AEA system.  more

"In a democracy we have to be strong enough to accept defeat ..." more

"Addressing water quality issues requires significant investment, and many smaller communities lack the necessary resources ..." more

"AEAs have played a significant role in education for over 30 years. Their support goes beyond party lines, benefiting both public and nonpublic schools ..." more

I was surprised to read recently that the city of Eldridge is receiving proposals for civil engineering services. The engineer they had – Greg Schaapveld with Shive-Hattery – in my book, was darned good. I base this not only on personal friendship through Rotary, but results. Greg, of Park View, is a guy who clearly knows what he's doing and applies the oid adage, "measure twice, cut once." more

Jan. 30, 19741: The North Scott School Board heard a preliminary proposal for a six-classroom elementary school to be constructed in Park View. The 6,000 square foot building was suggested to help reduce overcrowding at the existing elementary schools. The proposal suggested a possible lease agreement, where another party would pay for construction and the district would rent the property. more

The third week of the session was full of subcommittee meetings to discuss several introduced bills. Within the past week, the committees have created almost 100 subcommittees for legislation, roughly half of the subcommittees for the session so far. We are finding rhythm, so meetings and floor discussions should pick up quickly. That said, I want to highlight a bill that I oversaw as a subcommittee chair. more

The third week of the Iowa 2024 legislative session was extremely successful. I had many meetings with different associations, and was able to start building House Republican’s budget for this upcoming year. more

The Senate moved SSB 3069 past the first step in the legislative process.  more

"This November, I will be casting my vote for Christina Bohannan who is running against Miller-Meeks. Christina respects the incredibly personal decision of families to make their own reproductive choices ..." more

"In her remarks, directed at her constituents back home, Rep. Miller-Meeks also neglected to say that she voted NO for both the Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act ..." more

"Generosity throughout Eldridge contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child ..." more

"We are a million miles away from being overpopulated in this country. Even if we add only a half a billion people over the next century, imagine how many great minds we would be adding to our ranks ..." more

Davenport Republicans joined party members in McCausland, Princeton, Walcott and LeClaire to drive former President Donald Trump’s domination of Scott County’s Jan. 15 caucuses. more

Iowa Federation of Republican Women members helped organize and run caucus gatherings in 1,670 precincts in 99 counties, and National Federation of Republican Women leaders traveled to be on the ground in the Des Moines area for the big night, Jan. 15. more

Jan. 25, 1984: The Park View Owners Association and volunteer organizations gifted the North Scott School District a blacktopped basketball court at Neil Armstrong Elementary School. The Owners Association pledged $4,500 for blacktopping, with an additional $1,500 to come through fundraisers at Biddy Basketball games. The Park View Jaycees said they would also kick in if fundraising fell short. more

Who says you can’t go home again? more

We felt we had arrived, the small staff of the five-year-old NSP, when the four of us – Helen, Rosalie, Lora and I – moved into our first "real" office one September day in 1973. Until then, we had made do from our homes and limited space in two locations in downtown Eldridge, connected only by a telephone and neither large enough to turn around. more

One of the topics we have been hearing a lot about is area education agencies (AEAs). I appreciate all the messages I have been getting from my constituents, teachers, administrators, and parents/grandparents on this issue that demonstrate a strong commitment to our kids. more