60th Annual Siouxland/Washington Conference Table of Contents Community Priority Position Papers ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA) ........................................................ 1 WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT ................................................................................................... 2 Community priority position papers have been determined by the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to have widespread community support. These position papers are listed alphabetically, not in order of priority. Updates and Other Position Papers CAREER ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL .......................................................................................... 4 EDUCATION FUNDING UNDER SEQUESTRATION .................................................................. 6 ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE PROGRAM ....................................................................................... 8 FEDERAL DEFICIT REDUCTION ................................................................................................ 9 HEALTHCARE ............................................................................................................................ 10 HUD ENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES & SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER FUNDING CUTS ......................................................................................................11 IMMIGRATION REFORM ........................................................................................................... 13 PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING LEVELS ...................................................................................... 14 SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES PROGRAM OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND (E-RATE) ........ 15 SIOUXLAND’S PUBLIC & NOT-FOR-PROFIT HIGHER EDUCATION PRIORITIES ................ 16 TAX POLICIES FOR GROWTH & A BETTER ECONOMY ........................................................ 17 Ongoing Initiatives HOEVEN VALLEY TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS ...................................................... 18 INTERSTATE 29 RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT .................................................................... 19 SOUTHBRIDGE BUSINESS PARK ........................................................................................... 20 U.S. HIGHWAY 20 & NEBRASKA HIGHWAY 35 ....................................................................... 23 Updates, other position papers and ongoing initiatives provide updates on prior projects and introduce new ideas proposed by the authors. These position papers are listed alphabetically, not in order of priority. 27 60th Annual Siouxland/Washington Conference ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA) ISSUE The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, initially authorized in 1965 as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was signed into law on January 8, 2002, as a means of holding states, school districts, and schools more accountable for improving the academic performance of each student regardless of economic status, race, ethnicity, proficiency in English, or disability. NCLB provided the states discretion, then, to establish content and performance standards, select and operate assessment programs, and establish requirements to monitor and report academic performance of groups of students who have traditionally not been performing at the desired levels. Because, in practice, NCLB unintentionally encouraged states to lower their standards so that more students would appear to be proficient, even though they were not – many states did. NCLB also labeled every school that missed a single target as failing, including some that were making progress in educating disadvantaged students and closing achievement gaps. The “one size fits all” interventions regardless of any school needs prevented districts from focusing the critical resources where the resources could best serve students. SUPPORT REQUESTED The State of Iowa has applied, and been denied twice, for waivers from the federal framework of the ESEA. We continue to encourage our tri-state delegation to provide assistance to gain support for the waiver sought by the Iowa Department of Education, and to consider the items included in the waiver request as components of the reauthorization of ESEA. We have been awaiting the reauthorization of ESEA for several years now and the students in our school district, state and nation deserve the positive result that could come from setting aside the federal framework of NCLB through a reauthorized ESEA. We further ask you to advocate for funding for essential federal programs that provide school districts with support for students in need, and to benefit innovative growth in areas supported by the current administration. BACKGROUND After twelve years of enactment of the federal law, local school districts continue to comply with the language of the law at a time when the unintended consequences of this complex law are imposing far more dysfunctional and illogical implementation problems than had been anticipated by the sponsors of the legislation. Additionally, federal and state lawmakers have become increasingly aware that successful attainment of the desired national goals is very much dependent upon the capacity of State Departments of Education and capacity of local school districts. We continue to lobby for a comprehensive, strategic framework for reauthorizing ESEA. Actions will improve the quality of educational services while ensuring maximum authority and flexibility to local school districts that provide such services. We look forward to the completion of the reauthorization of ESEA, incorporating the priorities of local boards to improve the quality and delivery of educational services to advance academic achievement by all students while restoring flexibility to local boards in addressing their unique circumstances. AUTHOR(S) Dr. Paul Gausman, Superintendent, Sioux City Community School District, [email protected]. com, 712.279.6643 Dr. Vernon Fisher, Superintendent, South Sioux City Community Schools, [email protected], 402.404.1277 Al Leber, Superintendent, Dakota Valley School District, [email protected], 605.422.3800 1 60th Annual Siouxland/Washington Conference WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT ISSUE Due in large part to the strong agricultural sector, our tri-state economy remains strong and poised for growth. However, several Siouxland companies have announced recent expansions and the area is having difficulty securing the workforce needed. The recent success of the Siouxland region can only continue if we are able to recruit additional skilled workers. SUPPORT REQUESTED Siouxland community leaders urge our tri-state Congressional delegation to assist in the creation of a tri- state public/private partnership in an effort to actively recruit a skilled workforce to the area. The partnership would have to include state and local governments and businesses in the tri-state area in order to be successful. There must be oversight and it should include a strong marketing component. BACKGROUND We have had many successes in the past year including Site Selection Magazine awards for top economic development group in 2012 and #1 metro in 2012 and 2013; the expansion of several local companies, including CF Industries, Sabre Towers & Poles, Tyson Foods, Richardson, Gerkin Windows & Doors, CHS, Nutra Ferma, Nutra Flo, and Hepar; and the addition of a downtown casino. Metro area unemployment is under 5%. However, it will be difficult to build on this success if we do not have the skilled workers to fill the open positions. Area employers and economic development professionals in the area are feeling the effects of a tight labor force. Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa and Northeast Community College in South Sioux City, Nebraska have created and tailored programs, such as local welding initiatives, to assist with the skills gap issue, but more is needed. Therefore, we actually have two concerns. The first is the skills gap in the current workforce. More work is needed to better identify those that have a skills gap and get them the training necessary as well as continuing to work with the high schools in the area. The second is the lack of available workforce. We need to attract people to live in our region. The individual states all actively recruit for their respective states, but we need to think outside the box and find even more coordinated, creative ways to provide incentives to attract a skilled workforce to Siouxland. Since much of the deterrent to relocate would involve moving expenses and housing, one suggestion would be to provide free rent to people for a limited time, maybe six months, or provide for moving expenses to prospective employees. Housing and transportation will be key components. The tri-state region of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota has much to offer a prospective workforce – low cost of living, quality of education in our schools, safe communities, and many amenities. The real key to success, however, will be in communicating that message and targeting the right population, along with determining what incentives are most likely to attract the desired workforce to our area. Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota are each addressing the workforce shortage in different ways, with all three states targeting the retiring military. Here are some examples: In Iowa, Governor Branstad encouraged the Iowa Legislature to pass the Home Base Iowa Act aimed at recruiting retiring military to locate in Iowa. It includes: military pension tax exemption, home ownership