Joshua Brown

I am thankful for opportunities to speak with fellow union members, candidates & community members about the importance of strong unions in order to have strong public schools. We discussed the challenges facing workers today & the importance of coming together to support our students & educators.

Thank you to Des Moines Young Artists' Theatre for allowing young people to share their stories with our community. If you missed tonight, additional stories will be presented by Waukee High School's Thespian Troupe #1451 next Monday, October 13th in Waukee High School Library at 7pm.

Thank you to our state board who met this weekend to do the business of our union including adopting an Educator Bill of Rights that we will begin rolling out soon!

Attended the Iowa Labor History Society’s production of Clarence Darrow in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber. There are additional performances in Waterloo, Des Moines, Council Bluffs, and Sioux City this week.

Congratulations to Kat Power, Linn-Mar EA member, who was honored tonight by Iowa Safe Schools as the 2025 Educator of the Year! We are so proud to celebrate Kat’s dedication to spreading joy and ensuring all students feel safe and supported.

Tonight I was able to join members of the Oskaloosa Education Association at their homecoming parade! It was a great to chat with members and be part of this event as a positive outreach to the community.

The Trauma Immigration Raids Leave in Classrooms | NEA ‘Are they coming to take us away?' asked one kindergartener, as immigration raids spread fear in classrooms.

Immigration raids don’t just break up families, they disrupt learning. Students miss school, struggle emotionally, and carry heavy fears into the classroom. Schools must be safe havens for immigrant families, so every child can learn without fear.

Ended my two days in Eastern Iowa with members from the Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Central Rivers AEA, Hawkeye Community College, ISEA Retired and community allies discussing education policy. Thank you to the Democratic members of the Iowa House Education Committee for hosting this opportunity.

Thank you to the ISEA Aspiring Educators - Student Program members at the University of Iowa for inviting us to join you for the homecoming parade. It was great to something fun with future educators after a long day.

I had a great visit at Norwalk Community Schools today! Every classroom I visited was a model of building strong communities & helping students feel a sense of belonging. This trip highlighted the importance of treating educators like experts with the flexibility to develop lesson plans.

Proud to stand with our local nurses who are trying to organize their union and fight back against union busting efforts at Unity Point!

Last night I joined members of our community to discuss teen suicide at an event sponsored by Change For Charlie. We have the power to change the stigma around mental health and make a difference. We need to set aside time and space to build community so that our young people do not feel isolated.

Thank you to ISEA Policy and Practice Ambassador Abbigail Jones for hosting me at Colo-Nesco Elementary School. They do a great job with their early childhood programming making pre-k available to all students & combining a 3 year old program w/ onsite childcare for full day service for parents!

Feed the babies. @neapresident.bsky.social reminded us: hungry kids can't learn, and that's not politics, that's reality. #AtOurTable

I was able to spend some time this morning visiting with Iowa Falls local president Gregg Winters about the great support the school district receives from the community. The union has strong collaborative relationships which helps support student learning and makes Iowa Falls a great place to work.

There was good conversation tonight at the ISEA Council 12 meeting around how to welcome new educators to our profession and how to improve communication with members. I look forward to being back in northeast Iowa with members in a couple of weeks to listen and elevate the voices of educators!

Thank you to volunteers from the Dunkerton Historical & Tourism Association (DHTA) who gave me a tour of their museum, one-room school houses and depot. It was great to hear how the Dunkerton Education Assocation has partnered with the DHTA with an ISEA community outreach grant to help!

Thank you to ISEA Retired member Ronda Rathe for being my tour guide today at Dunkerton Community Schools and to local President Marci Titera for the invitation. It was great seeing so many educators engaging students in learning. Curriculum that educators select using their expertise works!

Thank you to President Keri Griswold for the invitation to see the great things happening in Jesup public schools! We will continue to advocate for sustainable funding from the state and federal governments so school districts, like Jesup, can plan for positions & increase educator compensation.

It was great to sit with local leaders from all across northeast Iowa this evening at the Council 13 meeting talking about membership engagement and sharing ideas with one another. I am looking forward to visiting with more members tomorrow!

Thank you to President Michelle Nystel for hosting me at Turkey Valley Community Schools. It was great to meet with PK-12 teachers all speaking highly of the strong community! The most common concern I heard today was that teachers are tired of not being treated as experts by politicians.

Today I had the opportunity to talk to many ISEA members at Atlantic Middle School. Thank you to president Mike McDermott for showing me around. This trip highlighted the importance of trust and collaboration and why pay-for-performance schemes would hurt the culture in our public schools.

Standing in solidarity with the retired members of the labor movement at the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans Convention. Top concerns that have been shared today include social security, attacks on collective bargaining, Medicaid cuts, and Medicare.

I loved my tour with Storm Lake President Jacquie Drey of all of their district schools. We were able to see some great programs in action including their duel language classrooms, STEM Labs, HS leadership course, ASCEND & more. So many amazing things happening in Storm Lake Public Schools!

It was great to be able to connect with ISEA retired members today at the Clay County Fair. I got lots of comments about my Hands Off My IPERS button and by the time I left, I handed out the pocket full I brought with me to retired educators volunteering at the fair.

The back of the Spencer shirt read “In a world of algorithms, hashtags, and followers know the true importance of human connections”. I had the ability to see that in practice while visiting the HS this morning. Everyone I talked to mentioned the great connections among staff and students.

Yesterday, I visited with our local president in Fort Dodge to talk about the great things happening to support students and staff at their public schools. We also talked about the challenges they are facing. Staff shortages and class size continue to come up in districts all across IA.

Thank you to Ann Swenson for opening up your classroom and showing me around Brookview Elementary School. It was great to listen to Waukee Education Association members about the challenges and successes so far this year. Collaboration is key to student success!