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Best Says Plan To Pull Tax Incentives To Fund 14-Year Education Is Not Sustainable

Democratic candidate for District 12 Iowa House of Representatives, Peter Leo, is campaigning on a platform that includes a proposal to offer state-funded education for 14 years. This plan would, effectively, educate every Iowa student through the first two years of college-level courses. Current Representative, Republican, Brian Best, says there are a few problems with this concept.

A recent study on funding freshman and sophomore years of college would cost about $164 million per year. That number, Best says, would come from last dollars in.

Best says he doesn’t believe Iowa taxpayers would think that is a good idea. He adds when it comes to funding of technical and college instruction, it is already being addressed through the Future Ready Iowa initiative. This program focuses on matching Iowans with careers that are in highest demand. This program, Best says, is also much broader than educating just the young people of the state, it provides assistance to adults who are looking at a new career or who have not been able to complete an education in one of these high-demand areas.

Best says Leo has been a proponent of ramping up state supplemental aid to schools. He says he does believe they need to do everything they can to make teaching in Iowa competitive to other states, and he believes they are.

He is for keeping that in place and using the resources and a nearly $100 million excess for this year toward some of those areas of need in the state. Best says Leo’s proposal to fund the free education to each and every Iowa student through decreasing the tax incentives given to private businesses are also tied together. Some people say the businesses are getting way too much. The system may not be fair, Best says, but we need to be competitive with other states. Sometimes the benefits are not tangible, but many times they drive the economy by providing jobs, and support for the entire area and state. Without these drivers, what happens to those who have received that free education?

Best is a resident of Glidden and owns a business in Carroll, Western Iowa Sleep. He is seeking a third term in office and is currently Vice Chairman of the Transportation committee. He serves on the Economic Growth, Human Resources and Natural Resources committees, the Health and Human Services budget subcommittee and the Planning and Zoning Board.

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