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Davenport students address state lawmakers head on

More than 60 Davenport School District students traveled to Des Moines on Monday, February 15th, to address Iowa lawmakers on the funding disparity in their dis...

More than 60 Davenport School District students traveled to Des Moines on Monday, February 15th, to address Iowa lawmakers on the funding disparity in their district.

"We want education to be one of the state's top priorities," said Thompson Teasdale, a senior at Davenport Central. "Some students shouldn't be worth more than others. We're not just numbers, we're kids [and] we should all have a chance at a great education."

Based on the Iowa funding formula, the Davenport School District gets $175 less in state funding per pupil than other neighboring school districts, including Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley.

Right now, the Davenport School District is facing $6.5 million in cuts for the 2016-2017 school year. District superintendent, Dr. Art Tate, has vowed to dip into district reserve funds if they don't get the state funding they need. That could cost him his license.

Students showed lawmakers a petition with about 1,300 signatures asking them to reform the education funding formula and give Dr. Tate authorization to dip into reserve funds. They met with legislators such as Cindy Winkler from the Iowa House Democrats, Ross Paustian from the Iowa House Republicans, and Phyllis Thede from the Iowa House Democrats. They also met with Governor Terry Branstad himself, who agreed the education funding formula was outdated.

"I think the students have done a good job educating me and legislators about this anomaly in the funding formula that dates back to 1971," said Governor Branstad. "What I tried to encourage them is to have some patience and recognize when you have a problem of this magnitude,  with the tight budget we have, we're going to have to do this over time."

"We're trying to address all of these educational issues and do it in the way that will give Iowa students the best education possible," Governor Branstad said. "I think all of our kids are important. I'm glad to see that they're here and they're advocating for quality education for Davenport, but we want that for all of Iowa."

Students in the Davenport School District said they won't stop fighting for their district.

"Even though we didn't hear all the things we wanted to hear, it's great to know we have all the support that we have," said Mickey Sloat, a junior at Davenport Central High School. "It's great to know that these legislators are listening to us."

"Isn't that what the state has been saying for 40-years? I think we will have to keep pressuring them and let them know we want to be heard and we want change," said Lorraine Pereira, a senior at Davenport Central High School.

"Each year that we don't get the money we need is another year we have to cut things," said Teasdale. "People lose their jobs or kids don't get great educations. So I think we need to move as quickly as possible."

"The student involvement is amazing and it just shows you the kind of students we have and how much more we could do if we got our funding," said Andrew DeNoyer, a senior at Davenport North High School.

For more coverage on the Davenport School District budget cuts, click here.

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