WATCH: Fewer students in Iowa schools, fewer dollars for Iowa students (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #37

By Iowa Production Staff, Zachary Oren Smith

August 27, 2025

157 Iowa school districts now depend on budget guarantees as public school enrollment drops 0.63% while nearly 28,000 kids use taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. That’s 43 more districts on life support than before the pandemic, revealing how voucher programs and brain drain are systematically hollowing out Iowa’s public education system.

On this segment of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down the enrollment crisis hitting Iowa communities.

Toss some bags at declining school enrollment… the coming loss of a historical archive in Iowa City… And how the 1986 Deere strike connects to today’s tariff layoffs…

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
01:00 – Tim Conroy’s Epic D&D Realtor Ad: Supporting Local Media Done Right
05:30 – Welcome to Cornhole Champions: Iowa’s Education Crisis Begins
07:00 – The Shocking Numbers: 157 Districts on Budget Guarantee
08:30 – What Budget Guarantees Really Mean for Iowa Communities
09:30 – The Voucher Paradox: Funding Both Public AND Private Schools
10:30 – Why School Closures Devastate Entire Towns
11:30 – Moving 6th Grade Back: Desperate Strategy or Band-Aid Solution?
12:30 – Des Moines’ Radical 10-Year Education Overhaul Plan

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
– Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
– Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA4IwgLmxbyrhETY6?si=6c4a527fa9ad4f64
– PocketCasts – https://pca.st/74atty1j
… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
– Twitter – https://x.com/zacharyos
– Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zacharyosmith
– Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bsky.social
– Threads – https://www.threads.com/@zachosmith
– LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyos/

*FOLLOW IOWA STARTING LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
– Twitter – https://twitter.com/iastartingline
– Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IowaStartingLine
– TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@iowastartingline
– Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iowastartingline
– YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@UCXN791Qw5opBRLyvTWYl43w

Iowa Production Staff,

View all posts
Zachary Oren Smith

Zachary Oren Smith is your friendly neighborhood reporter. He leads Starting Line’s political coverage where he investigates corruption, housing affordability and the future of work. For nearly a decade, he’s written award-winning stories for Iowa Public Radio, The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Send your tips on hard news and good food to [email protected].

View all posts

CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO

Support Our Cause

Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Iowans and our future.

Since day one, our goal here at Iowa Starting Line has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Iowan families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.