Rep. Cecelia Burnett, D-Ames, running for a third term in the Iowa House, says she wants to elicit changes in education reform, the environment and civil rights.

Burnett, seeking re-election in House District 61, said ensuring that Iowa teachers are ready to teach and that they are paid adequate and “livable” wages is high on her priority list.

“I think we need to pay teachers [according to] their value to society,” she said.

Along with more pay for teachers, Burnett said, she hopes to cut class sizes in the early grades. She said it has been proven that children in grades K-3 learn better with fewer students in their classes because they receive more one-on-one help.

The second facet of Burnett’s education plan is developing alternative programs for at-risk and disruptive students. She said each district should choose which route to take and which programs best suit their needs.

In order to help at-risk and disruptive children, Burnett proposes that each school have a “prevention liaison officer.” These officers would come from the court system and would act as a “buddy” to troublesome children, she said.

Burnett wondered if Iowans have considered the possibility of an event like the Jonesboro shootings happening in Iowa. She said people don’t realize that a similar incident could happen anywhere.

“I think we need to get our heads out of the sand,” she said. “Could what happened in Jonesboro, Ark. happen here? Yes, it could.”

Crumbling school buildings and other infrastructure faults are key issues to Burnett. She said the state needs to apply funds toward refurbishing decrepit buildings and those that don’t meet fire and safety standards.

In theory, all these propositions seem to be great strides toward improvement, but Burnett also has concrete suggestions for funding.

She said some money to implement the proposed changes will come from the state and the other part will come from the district.

In a press release, Burnett said Iowa should “look at implementing a simple majority vote for bond issues paid for with a combination of income and property taxes.”

Burnett said that some of the funding put toward prisons should be invested in schools instead.

“If we [set aside] some of the money we put into prisons, and we invested it in our kids … that would solve a whole lot of problems down the line,” she said.

The representative emphasized that she will continue funding programs aimed at saving the environment.

“We must ensure our quality of life by fully funding our natural resources programs, including our nationally-recognized Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program,” Burnett said in a press release.

She said she is concerned with protecting groundwater from contamination resulting from large livestock confinement operations.

In order to more closely monitor the operations, Burnett said, the Department of Natural Resources needs to hire more personnel to oversee construction and development of the confinements.

Burnett said statewide regulation of these facilities is imperative to ensure that the water supplies are clean, but she said local authorities should be able to decide the placement of the facilities.

“Who better to make local decisions than local people?” she asked.

In a press release, Burnett said she has noticed an “unending string of attacks” on the personal liberties and civil rights of Iowa citizens.

For example, she said, some Iowans want to establish English as the official language of Iowa, which would undermine efforts in accepting diversity.

“I find it very offensive to say ‘If you don’t speak English, you’re not welcome here,'” she said.

Burnett has lived in Ames since 1973. She graduated from Iowa State in 1983 with degrees in wildlife biology and journalism.

Until 1997, Burnett served as the environmental education coordinator with Story County Conservation.

In the Iowa House, Burnett serves on the state government, environmental protection and human resources committees, as well as the human services appropriations subcommittee.