Issues
Education
Front-line Experience: Seven years as a high school teacher, Four years as a high school principal Bob Vander Plaats received his education in the private school system. He was a business educator in Boone and Jefferson and a high school principal in Sheldon and Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn. And, he received his most important life lessons from his parents at home. As governor, Bob will employ his experience in education to ensure that every child in Iowa, whether private, public or home schooled, receives a quality education.
“Iowa should set the international standards for excellence instead of always trying to respond to it. I want Iowa to lead the United States and the world and the only way to do that is to have high standards in math, science, communication, technology and authentic American and world history. To reestablish Iowa as an educational leader, we need less federal interference and we must get rid of Chet Culver’s one-size-fits-all approach. I will create an environment where resources are directed towards student achievement, where districts learn from the successes of others, where all districts are held accountable for results and where they report those results in the most transparent and accessible manner.”
—Bob Vander Plaats
• FOR representation of public school, home school and private school on the Iowa Board of Education.
• FOR high expectations in the areas of math, science, communications and technology.
• AGAINST federal involvement in Iowa’s classrooms and a one-size-fits-all approach.
• FOR holding local school districts accountable; requiring reporting that is both accurate and honest.
• FOR simplifying funding to per-student served formula, eliminating unnecessary mandates and special-use funding.
• AGAINST focusing on the need for more money rather than the value and promise of improved performance.
• FOR making better use of existing education funding to focus our priorities and resources on Iowa’s classrooms, teachers and students rather than layers of bureaucracy.
• FOR allowing parents and local school boards, not Washington D.C., to determine what works for the students in their communities.
