John,

On Monday, the state auditor, Rob Sand, released a new report and the findings are damning.

In January, 2023, Governor Reynolds forced a new charter school bill through the legislature with the goal of taking public money out of public schools and sending it to private companies to prop-up private schools.

There's a lot wrong with that picture. But it gets worse.

Odyssey, the company that was contracted to facilitate the flow of money from the state government to charter schools, has taken Iowans for a ride. After signing the contract, the company decided to more than double the cost to taxpayers. Here was their reasoning:

"...."

They gave no reason, raised their prices, and the Department of Education let it slide.

But there's more. In its proposal, Odyssey stated that they intended to open an office in Des Moines if they were selected for the contract. While waiting to finalize the contact, Odyssey found the perfect location.

Our state Capitol is not for sale. This is sacred ground, owned by each and every Iowan, where we participate in democracy and represent the needs and wants of our community.

Far-right extremists have taken control of our state government and there aren't enough Democrats to push back. So, public funds are mismanaged — siphoned away by out-of-state companies — and bad actors try to claim the State House as their own.

Governor Reynolds and her far-right allies aren't keeping Iowans front and center because they are more interested in pursuing an extremist agenda. We deserve better.

This is why we need to elect more Democrats in Iowa, to break the hard-right's control of Iowa and bring common sense back to Iowa's government. Can you chip in $11 today to help us fight against this extremism and make Iowa work for Iowans again?

Stand Tall for All,

J.D.