DeJear campaigns on access to education and mental health News, sports, jobs

DeJer spoke to about 75 people at Iowa Central Community College’s Triton Cafe on Thursday evening.

“This is a state that was once No. 1 in education.” The candidate said. “Now we’re 18, 19, 20 on the list as you can see. And we know as Iowans, that’s not where we are… We have a governor right now that doesn’t fully support our education system, and that’s unfortunate.

Deger said she wants to make Iowa more competitive with other states by increasing teacher starting pay and introducing loan forgiveness programs for teachers who decide to teach in Iowa.

The need for more teachers — amid a nationwide teacher shortage — is also tied to Iowa’s need for more mental health care professionals, the candidate said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert.

Iowa gubernatorial Democratic candidate Deid DeGeer chats with Fort Dodge High seniors Gabby Schumacher and Kylie Ganzeveld before DeGeer’s campaign stop Thursday night at the Triton Cafe in Iowa Central.

“I want mental health services to be available in our public schools across the state.” She said. “We’re asking our teachers to do a lot more in general. If we can get social workers and mental health workers in our schools, it makes a big difference.”

DeJer, a father from northeast Iowa, brought his teenage son to the emergency room in a mental health crisis and realized he had few options – he could stay six months with a psychiatrist or wait two months. Talk to a psychologist or go to an open bed for a mental health patient in the state for six hours.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Dejer said. “We have less than 30 child psychiatrists in the state and we have over half a million children…we have less than 750 mental health care beds in the state and we have over 3 million people.

The candidate said the biggest problem was the lack of mental health providers in the state. She wants to improve payment rates for mental health providers and streamline the licensing process to attract providers to Iowa.

These are reasonable goals, DeJear said.

“We’re asking for a fully funded education system, we’re not asking for more.” She said. “When you ask for access to health care and mental health services in your community, you’re not asking for much… but what’s unreasonable is that we have leadership that refuses to create a way for people to access those services.”

An audience member asked DeJear about a recent television ad supporting the campaign of Gov. Kim Reynolds that indicated DeJear was part of it. “Protect Police Money” Movement.

“I am in no way ‘defending’ the police.” Dejer said.

Believing that defunding the police is the solution must mean the police are the problem, she said.

“I don’t think the problem is the police.” Dejer said. “I believe the police and law enforcement are part of the solution. I believe the failed policies of this current governor are our problem.

Attempts by Republicans to name her “Anti-Police” It’s just a political strategy and a distraction from the issues, says Dejer.