Two of Washington County’s four state legislators attended the Washington Chamber of Commerce’s monthly legislative briefing Saturday.

This was the second briefing held this legislative session as January’s was canceled due to weather, and State Senator Kevin Kinney (D) and State Representative Jarad Klein (R) attended, while State Senator Jeff Reichman (R) and State Representative Joe Mitchell (R) were absent for the second event in a row. Due to the census redistricting neither Reichman nor Mitchell will represent Washington County next year. Education dominated much of Saturday’s discussion, as teachers and Washington Schools Superintendent Willie Stone and Highland and WACO Superintendent Ken Crawford spoke against the private school voucher bill still alive at the capitol. Kinney commented that the proposal to use per-pupil taxpayer funds for private school scholarships would hurt rural schools the most, “To me it’s not a good solution, I’ve always felt that private schools are a choice and we do put a lot of money into private schools through books and transportation and other things.”

Klein said that he is not favorable to Governor Kim Reynolds’ school voucher bill as it is written. He also shared that he was against the classroom camera bill that failed this session, and thought State Senator Jake Chapman’s remarks that Iowa’s teachers have a sinister agenda as “completely irresponsible.” Crawford mentioned Reynolds’ blaming the public education system on the fatal East High School shooting in Des Moines, and asked the legislators why she doesn’t seem to like public education. Klein expressed that communication between legislators and educators is a two-way street, “When you’ve been attacked for over a decade and you want to be listened to, that’s something really hard for somebody to do in her position or mine. Because I know how the playbook is, it’s been the same playbook for over a decade with me. Every year, ‘We want more money, we want more money, we want more money.’ That money typically goes to salary increases. Not everybody gets an increase in the private sector, many go years without an increase.”

Constituents also asked the legislators about food labeling for Iowa-made products, mental health, and substance abuse programs. Washington Chamber Director Michelle Redlinger remarked that the April briefing may be canceled as Klein and Kinney expect the session to end in the next few weeks. If so, this was Klein’s last as he is retiring at the end of this term.