Leaders of several education groups joined Governor Vilsack today to once again call on the legislature to increase school funding. Bob Christenson is a spokesman for the Iowa Association of School Boards and president of the Marshalltown school board. He says he doesn’t believe Iowans want the quality of education in the state to slip. He says in fact, they have every indication that Iowans want education to improve. He says they’re delivering petitions with over 55-thousand signatures to governor Vilsack and leaders of the Iowa House and Senate calling for more funding. Christenson says a tax increase if the way to increase funding to education.He says the petitions clearly state that Iowans believe our schools should be adequately funded, even if that means a tax increase. Christenson criticized the tax cuts passed by the legislature. He says “in the past few years I believe Iowa policymakers have gone too far in their zeal to lower the tax burden on Iowan citizens and businesses.” He says the majority of Iowans believe it is time to grow Iowa revenue. He cites a poll that showing that 57-percent of Iowans favor a tax increase. Christenson was joined by the president of the state’s largest teacher’s union, and other education officials who collected the signatures on the petitions.
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