Can anyone help me figure out the Iowa Republican senators’ and representatives’ approaches to public education? On the one hand, they express concern about the shortage of teachers, the number leaving the profession, and the difficulty of adding and replacing staff. On the other hand, public schools are continuously underfunded, and money is proposed for private schools.

Teachers are described as untrustworthy people with “sinister agendas” who need to be watched by video cameras. Teachers are also now being told what they can and cannot say about current events, race, sexual orientation, etc. regardless of their training and the subject matter and age group they are expected to “teach.” School districts are under threat of suits for making certain books available, and administrators and teachers are threatened with criminal prosecution for providing “obscene” materials (and now also “hardcore pornography” according to an article in Saturday morning’s DM Register).

I can only hope that most of the extreme bills will not become law. However, the fact that these types of ideas are being discussed in the legislature is of great concern to those who believe that education should include free exchanges of ideas and that educators are primarily ethical, trustworthy professionals. Also, I question whether prospective teachers will be interested in employment in a state where these ideas are held by those with the power to make them state law.

So please help me understand how Republicans can square the need for more teaching staff and the attitude toward and treatment of current educators.