MIDTESOL Matters Summer 2001

Postcard from…Iowa 

By Cathy Howland, Iowa Representative 

The Iowa conference in the first week of February was a success in every way but the weather, which scared a number of people away on the second day and stranded others! A wide array of topics was covered, and the committee will meet at the end of April to plan next year's

conference, which will be a couple of weeks later when the weather will be much better.

One of the foremost topics in the legislature these past few weeks has been the issue of English Only. The bill passed narrowly in the Senate and is being debated at length by the House Local Government Committee. The "Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act of 2001" would require, with several exceptions, that all official documents, proceedings and publications of state government be in English. The requirement would also apply to cities, counties and school districts. If the bill should pass in Committee, it would then go to the full House for debate. A compromise that is being offered would model Iowa's legislation after one in Missouri, which "recognizes that English is the most common language used in Iowa, and recognizes that fluency in English is necessary for full integration into our common American culture." At this point, however, there has been no mention of increased funding for programs that would aid non-native speakers of English in increasing their fluency. The governor has promised to veto any legislation that would fail to increase funding for such programs. At this time there are 26 states with some kind of official English legislation.

Teacher compensation is also a big topic of discussion in the Iowa Legislature. Many different ideas are being discussed including licensure standards, increased pay, and accountability issues. At the same time, funding to junior colleges and universities is being cut, and there is much discussion about shortages of teachers in the state of Iowa as many are approaching retirement.

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