Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum released the following statement in response to Gov. Kim Reynolds signing House File 2612, gutting Iowa’s Area Education Agencies.
“Gov. Reynolds demanded an attack on Iowa’s Area Education Agencies that no one asked for and no one wanted. She bullied it through the Republican-led legislature, and today she signed it into law,” Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said. “Every step of the way, Iowans told her to stop, to slow down, to engage stakeholders, and collaborate on real improvements to special education in Iowa. She never listened, and now parents and children will face the consequences.”
“While I’m disappointed and ashamed of our governor and the Republican lawmakers who voted for the bill, I’m incredibly thankful for the thousands of Iowans who spoke up and resisted these changes over the last three months,” Jochum said. “Parents, educators, students, and community leaders changed the course of this legislation. They prevented Republican politicians from fast-tracking this bill and exposed Gov. Reynolds’ misplaced priorities.”
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