Good luck and congratulations to students and educators on a great start to the school year. My number one priority in the Iowa House is making Jasper County a great place to live, work and raise a family. Support for our schools is critical to accomplish this goal. Our kids deserve it. In today’s rapidly changing economy, it’s more important than ever that we make sure our kids get the skills they need to land a good job after high school or continue their education.
Unfortunately, this year our K-12 teachers and students face even bigger challenges as they try to do more with less. We’ve got amazing teachers and school leaders striving to do what’s best for our kids, but the governor’s veto of education funding and funding delays have made it extremely difficult to keep class sizes low and keep updated textbooks and technology in the classroom.
Higher education students also face new challenges due to the governor’s veto. Thousands of Iowans have started classes at DMACC in Newton or another one of Iowa’s 15 community colleges. We know these local colleges play a critical role in building Iowa’s skilled workforce by helping people of all ages get the skills they need to land a good job. However, community college tuition rose again this year and the governor vetoed additional money approved by the legislature to keep tuition low.
For the first time in three years, Iowa students attending University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University or the University of Iowa will be facing higher tuition in January. After lawmakers worked out a deal to freeze tuition for another year, the governor vetoed the compromise without warning and took away $6 million. Iowa students already carry some of the highest debt in the country so the governor’s veto means it will take them even longer to pay off their student loans as they enter the workforce.
Iowa’s unemployment rate rose just a bit to 3.8 percent in June, but is still well below the national average of 5.3 percent. Jasper County’s unemployment rate is now 3.4 percent, finally, lower than the state average and down from one year ago when it was 4.2 percent. Clearly, progress is being made but our comeback is far from finished.
Many local jobs depend on Iowa’s continued investment in wind-energy. Iowa is a world leader in wind energy with 28.5 percent of our electricity coming from wind and 6,000 Iowans employed in the wind industry. It’s critical Iowa stay a leader in harnessing wind for clean, reliable, renewable energy. More than 1,000 of the state’s wind-jobs are right here in Newton.
Fortunately, state officials have approved another major wind energy project from MidAmerican Energy that will help protect these jobs and create more. With some minor modifications to benefit consumers, the Iowa Utilities Board has approved another major wind project, called Wind X, which will generate enough energy to power 460,000 homes. With companies such as MidAmerican heavily investing in wind energy, it’s easy to see why energy costs continue to remain below most states.
The modified plan for MidAmerican Energy is estimated to create an additional 552 megawatts of electricity. MidAmerican estimates that over a 30 year time period, Wind X will generate an estimated $1.5 billion in property taxes, as well as lease payments to owners and governments. Manufacturing of wind-products will precede construction on Wind X scheduled to begin in spring of next year and be completed by the end of 2016.
We have a proud, long history of building quality products in Newton. The wind industry is keeping this legacy alive. Multi-billion dollar renewable energy projects like this one from MidAmerican, keep orders for wind-products coming to manufacturers right here in Jasper County and throughout our state. Better pay and more wind-jobs cannot happen without a continued focus on keeping this industry strong. It’s a wise investment. Unlike oil and coal, wind is a resource that will never face a shortage.