On June 8, Gov. Tom Vilsack signed legislation that will create a core curriculum to serve as a model for high schools across the state. The model will be designed by the Iowa Board of Education, taking into account the recommendations of the makers of the ACT that all students receive four years of English and three years each of mathematics, science and social studies.

The goal is for 80 percent of graduating seniors to have met the standards defined by this model, even though they will be completely optional, with no incentives for progress or penalties for failure. This is a positive development, but just one small step toward fulfilling Iowa’s goals in K-12 education.

This change is likely to improve the education of many Iowa students. Right now, about two-thirds of students who take the ACT would qualify. It seems likely that those who don’t take the test would be even less likely to fulfill all the requirements.

A 13-percent increase is a realistic goal, with that increase helping position graduates to succeed in a wider variety of career choices. Even though there is the danger that the classes the model focuses on might take attention away from other options available to high school students, they are more essential for almost any career path and deserve high priority.

Ultimately, though, this does little to truly improve our school system. Increasing requirements is going to force cuts at many schools, where finances are already stretched too thin. Iowa ranks 38th nationally in teacher salaries, which makes it difficult to attract the best educators.

The kind souls who do take the jobs often find textbooks are woefully out of date. For example, some students in Des Moines are still learning about the menace that is the USSR.

Another problem is the disparity in school funding because of varying property taxes. Large rural districts and poorer urban districts both suffer, while wealthier urban and suburban areas prosper. A child’s quality of education should never depend on the livelihood of his or her parents. Unfortunately, the fact that it does is hardwired into our current system.

There are many other issues facing Iowa schools. Districts with populations too small to support robust high schools and sales taxes that benefit schools in commerce centers causes disparity in school funding, and consequently, in educational standards.

Pressures from No Child Left Behind and internal programs encourage teaching for tests instead of teaching for success, while at the same time lax standards allow students to pass classes without really learning the material.

Despite all these obstacles, Iowa’s education system still continues to rank near the top in state-by-state comparisons.