State Sen. Johnie Hammond (D-Ames) and State Rep. Cecelia Burnett (D-Ames) visited Meeker and Roosevelt Elementary Schools Friday in a statewide Democratic effort to focus on Iowa education.

Wearing buttons that read, “Keep My Two Dollars. Invest in Kids,” Hammond and Burnett showed their support of Gov. Tom Vilsack’s five-year plan to reduce class sizes and promote reading skills.

This $150 million investment, in competition with the Republican three-year, $30 million rival plan, would increase the time and attention given to kindergarten through third-grade children by as much as 25 percent, Hammond said.

Hammond and Burnett said they do not believe the Republican plan will be sufficient to reduce class sizes for a significant amount of time.

“Schools need help, but that’s nothing new,” Burnett said. “I have supported it from day one.”

Hammond and Burnett said the average class size currently is about 22 children but would be closer to 17 under the Democratic proposal.

“Smaller classes are critical in the early years when learning to read,” Hammond said.

She said in the classes they visited, many students were divided into groups and taught by teacher’s aides.

“Research shows that aides are not as good as having a certified teacher,” Hammond said.

Burnett said there is simply too much for certified teachers to handle alone.

“We’re dumping a lot more on less teachers,” Burnett said.

Hammond said smaller classes would call for more teachers but would cut down on distractions created by having to put children in groups.

Although smaller class sizes will mean additional teachers and construction work on school buildings, Hammond and Burnett said facilities would continue to have needs regardless of whether the plan was implemented.

Hammond said Democrats have proposed investing in some facility assistance.

“The assistance, for the most part, was rejected by the Republican caucus,” she said.

Instead, Hammond said, some districts are voting on the Republican proposition of a 1 percent sales tax. She said this is the $2 her button refers to.

Hammond and Burnett said they have received correspondence from parents and teachers asking for help.

“The teachers said they wanted the buttons,” Hammond said. “They appreciated an interest in their struggles to do a good job.”

Hammond said supporters of their education plan haven’t been exclusively Democrats.

“In some cases, Republicans have been joining us,” she said. “I hope they’ll do more.”

In continuing the statewide effort to focus on education, Hammond said she will be traveling to Slater on Friday to visit a second-grade class.