Help Nick raise $500 for thriving Iowa public schools!

In the decade I spent as an Iowa high school teacher, I saw my class sizes balloon, course offerings cut, and students in special education fail to have their needs met, all while our elected representatives scolded us to do more and more with less and less. 

Today, as the parent of two kids who attend Iowa public schools, I believe we owe them a vision of thriving public schools that can do more with more, and nobody else is working harder than Iowa CCI to make that vision a reality for our state.

After attending my first Iowa CCI Summer Conference in 2024, I got involved in their Public School Strong campaign. Later that fall, it was a great privilege to be asked to host author and journalist Jennifer Berkshire when Iowa CCI brought her in for public discussions about her book, The Education Wars. 

This year, Public School Strong has collected thousands of petition signatures and submitted resolutions to fully fund public schools and phase out private school vouchers in nine school districts. In fact, interest in the Public School Strong work has grown so fast we recently hired an additional organizer just for this campaign and are set to build out additional local campaigns in 2026.

That’s why I’m a CCI member, and it’s why I’m helping Iowa CCI raise $500 to sustain their Public School Strong campaign and support their important work here at home. 

Iowans have been dealt divisive narratives that pit teachers, kids, and parents against each other, while disadvantaging our local public schools and the students who need them the most. Public School Strong, on the other hand, is organizing parents, teachers, and community members who have been showing up and speaking out for honest, equitable, and fully-funded public education. Uniting a diverse coalition of Iowans from all backgrounds and interests is the first step toward realizing a democratic education through strong public schools. Or as Iowa CCI Action puts it, “People power is how we win!”

Every $20 donation will get their name added to a drawing to win signed copies of both of Jennifer Berkshire's co-authored books, The Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door and The Education Wars. Winner to be announced at the end of the fundraiser. Each $20 increment will be treated as an entry. So a donation of $100 is 5 entries into the drawing!

Thank you for your donation, and thank you for supporting this vision for better, stronger Iowa public education!

-Nick