Net_Birdie

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

https://t.co/9qYHyDJufU

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@BendelowGreens Could the ultimate marketing plan. LAB does have PE money - make it happen Tiger

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@Team_Sand Where does your public dollars come from? Magic? Or Private Citizens.

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@RobSandIA However you want to take our money and then tell us what schools our kids can attend with our money. That does not seem like a good way to start building a bridge.

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@iAnonPatriot Wonder if guests have to show ID to get in?

[Hawkeye Enjoyer (IOWA FIRST) 🐤 @HawkGuyEnjoyer]

Keep this in mind when voting this November, anon.

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@BendelowGreens Looks like you are walking today

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@against_kim @RobSandIA What, he doesn’t drive an EV? Does he hate the climate?

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@cyhiphopp @coachhersom Raised tuition - maybe because they faced the largest inflation under Biden since Jimmy Carter?

They also spend $8k / kid versus public schools getting $19k / kid

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@cyhiphopp Ok - then let’s eliminate property taxes and have everyone pay the same rate for the same services?

That would solve all the problems

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@RobSandIA But you talk about “accountability” for private schools just like the public schools. Where is the accountability here? Where is the accountability in DM when the superintendent had to be arrested by ICE because the school district did not do their homework?

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@JohnSmithnamg @LahnHQ Guess you don’t pay much in taxes

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

Well according to this enrollment is down the past decade, so inflation adjusted - seems normal

Iowa’s public school (PK-12) enrollment has shown a modest overall decline over the last 10 years (roughly 2015-16 to 2025-26 school years), with relative stability or slight fluctuations until recently, followed by a sharper drop in the last few years.2
Certified enrollment (the official Iowa Department of Education count of resident students used for school funding) provides the most relevant statewide figures.
Key Numbers and Trends
•Mid-2010s (around 2015-16): Enrollment hovered in the mid-to-high 480,000s (consistent with long-term stability around or slightly above 483,000 from the mid-2000s into the mid-2020s in many analyses).73
•2019 (pre-pandemic peak): Approximately 490,000 students.
•Fall 2020: 484,159 students (a 1.21% drop of 5,935 students from 2019—the first decline in a decade, partly linked to pandemic-related homeschooling increases).2
•2023-24: 483,699 students (a 0.57% decline).5
•2024-25: 480,665 students (a ~0.63% decline).29
•2025-26: 473,329 students for public school districts and charters (a 1.53% decline from the prior year).22
Net change over ~10 years: A decline of roughly 2–3% (on the order of 10,000–15,000 students), depending on the exact starting point in the mid-2010s. Enrollment remained relatively flat or only slightly down for much of the period before accelerating downward after 2022-23.11
From 2022-23 to 2025-26 alone, public enrollment fell by about 13,000 students (~2.76%), reaching the lowest levels in the modern era (below the prior low around 2010-11). Recent single-year percentage losses (excluding the 2020 pandemic dip) rank among the largest in decades.11
Context and Drivers
•Pre-existing demographic trends: Iowa (like much of the U.S.) faces lower birth rates and shifting population patterns. State projections before major policy changes anticipated a gradual public enrollment decline starting around 2023-24. National Center for Education Statistics projections also show ongoing national declines.22
•Recent acceleration and school choice: The sharper drops since 2023-24 coincide with Iowa’s Students First Education Savings Account (ESA/voucher) program. Nonpublic school enrollment has grown significantly (from ~33,700 in 2022-23 to over 41,000 by 2025-26, adding more than 8,000 students in three years). Public enrollment has declined more than pre-ESA projections anticipated.45
•Geographic variation: Statewide numbers mask big differences. Suburban districts (especially around Des Moines metro areas like Waukee, Ankeny, Johnston, and others such as Clear Creek-Amana in the Corridor) have seen strong growth. Many rural and smaller districts have experienced steeper declines. Outside a handful of fast-growing suburban districts, combined enrollment dropped about 5% over a recent decade-long span.3
Total certified enrollment across public and accredited nonpublic schools was 515,221 in fall 2025 (down from 520,021 the prior year), with public/charter schools making up nearly 92% of the total.22
These figures come primarily from Iowa Department of Education certified enrollment reports and press releases, supplemented by analyses from sources like the Bleeding Heartland/Substack reporting and ITR Foundation. Exact year-to-year comparisons can vary slightly depending on whether preK is fully included or how open enrollment/weighting is handled, but the overall downward trajectory and recent acceleration are consistent across official sources.
For the most granular or district-level data, the Iowa DOE’s PK-12 Education Statistics page provides annual Excel files with detailed breakdowns.

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@itsrosesm Not much different than going to the airport and TSA agents asking for my ID

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@TMfin78 @shanevanderhart Terri - where do public dollars come from?

Private citizens? Would you support eliminating property taxes and all private citizens pay the same in taxes for public services? We all pay the same for the same services?

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@iowademocrats Money is not the issue

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@RobSandIA 2% - and what is with this we stuff.

[Lahn HQ @LahnHQ]

Rob Sand said it himself: "Public schools get an audit every single year. Because we like public oversight of public money."

Yet, Iowa City Public Schools went three years without an audit, while they were breaking state law by spending $38 million of your money without approval.

Mr. 'Auditor' spends all of his time attacking school choice while failing to supervise how public schools spend our tax dollars.

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@BohannanIowa

[Net_Birdie @EBjorseth]

@unusual_whales Inflation will be 10% and unemployment will be 10% or more