IASB Director Placed on Leave Pending Investigation

Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) Executive Director Maxine Kilcrease has been placed on administrative leave following allegations that she raised her salary from $210,000 to $367,000 without board approval last September, and that taxpayer money was used for former Chief Financial Officer Kevin Schick's vacation to Bora Bora.

IASB is a private, not-for-profit organization but is taxpayer-funded because school districts pay dues to the organization. Dues from each of Iowa's 361 school districts range from $724 to $10,366. Allegations of wrongdoing surfaced in whistle-blower complaints from four IASB employees.

In meetings Wednesday and Thursday in Des Moines, the IASB board of directors decided to retain Nolden Gentry as outside legal counsel to investigate all whistle-blower complaints and other allegations. Brooks Lodden is doing an annual audit expected to be completed in May.

Harry Heiligenthal, IASB's leadership-development director, was named interim director. New board member Roger Shaffer of Sumner, who is a certified public accountant, was added to the audit committee. The board also voted not to increase member dues for the 2010-11 school year.

Allegations of wrongdoing in the association include salaries raised without approval, staffers actively misleading board members about a multi-million-dollar business deal, and a for-profit company run by an IASB executive receiving $5 million from the organization. There are also allegations of conflicts of interest, nepotism, lax financial controls, and inadequate board oversight.

State lawmakers hope to get some of their questions about the scandal answered at a meeting of the Government Oversight Committee. They've asked IASB officials to appear before them at the Capitol.

Domestic Abusers Barred from Firearm Possession

After a week of action that included a day-long, emotionally charged debate in the Iowa House, both houses of the legislature have passed a bill prohibiting domestic abusers from having firearms.

The passage comes despite Republicans arguing that the bill takes away a person's Second Amendment right to bear arms.

"It's been about 10 years that we've been trying to get something on this front done," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs). "I think that's really a major accomplishment in terms of protecting people from domestic violence and protecting people from ending up getting murdered."

During the House debate, several Democrats criticized an amendment by Representative Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley) that would have struck the bill, made domestic abusers pay a $500 domestic-abuse surcharge, and taught victims how to fight back with a self-defense training course.

"This is about empowering the victim," said Windschitl, who claimed his amendment offered a fresh way of approaching the problem.

But Representative Ray Zirkelbach (D-Monticello), a correctional counselor who teaches felons, said that's not a sound approach. "Sending somebody to a self-defense course, what are they going to teach them?" he asked. "Are we supposed to send these children to training? Are we supposed to give them a certificate that says, 'I can shoot Daddy if he hits me?'"

Representative Deborah Berry (D-Waterloo) explained that while it's been federal law to prevent domestic abusers from having firearms since 1995, there are not enough federal agents for enforcement. She said 205 Iowans were killed in domestic-abuse murders since 1995, and 114 of the murders involved guns.

"The bill is about victims, and not firearms," Berry said. "The bill is about preventing the violence, terror, and death that occur when domestic abuse is mixed with easy access to guns."

But Representative Jodi Tymeson (R-Winterset) disagreed: "You're going to be taking away constitutional Second Amendment rights. We should take that very seriously."

The bill taking firearms from domestic abusers has long been a priority for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who on Wednesday evening applauded House passage of the bill.

"I am elated that the House passed this bill, and passed it by a wide, bipartisan margin," Miller said. "This law will help prevent women, men, and children from being terrorized, maimed, and killed by violent domestic abusers using guns. It will only remove guns from domestic abusers. This is a big victory for public safety, and it will save lives."

Santorum Confirms He's Considering a Run for President

During his second visit to Iowa in recent months, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) told IowaPolitics.com that while his primary concern is the 2010 election cycle, he is still considering a run for president in 2012 and will likely return to Iowa later this month.

"I am focused on 2010 and that's something I'm considering and will consider," he said.

Santorum keynoted the Iowa Christian Alliance's Spring Kick-Off at Walnut Creek Community Church in Windsor Heights before a crowd of about 250. He sought to energize Christian voters by addressing what he called "an attack on faith and the family.

"We see it here with marriage where anybody who stands up opposes the redefinition of marriage is considered a bigot," he said. "Someone who speaks from the pulpit, it's considered hate speech. This is what we face, really an attack on religious liberty."

Santorum also addressed a "robo-call" that attacked him and was received by some Iowa households starting Monday. The recorded call accused Santorum of being a "pro-life fraud" because of his past endorsement of Senator Arlen Specter, who switched his party affiliation to be a Democrat last year.

Santorum said his 2004 endorsement of the onetime chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee was "a mistake in retrospective" and added that he had endorsed Specter because he had promised to approve President George W. Bush's two U.S. Supreme Court nominations.

Santorum shared the story of his son, Gabriel Michael, who was born prematurely in 1996 and only survived for two hours after birth. He and his wife rejected one of the options presented to them: to abort the fetus.

Eldon Pals, a 78-year-old retiree from Newton, felt that Santorum's address was well received by the audience.

"I am impressed with the very personal delivery and actual parent-child relationship that he introduced. I think his message was delivered very well and very credibly," Pals said.

Pals added that Santorum has "little to prove" to pro-life voters.

This weekly summary comes from IowaPolitics.com, an online government and politics news service. Reporter Andrew Duffelmeyer and other correspondents contributed to this report.

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