Rob Sand blames state underfunding as Dubuque schools weigh restructuring on eve of election

REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN) - DUBUQUE, Iowa - Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump rallied in Dubuque, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand brought his own campaign through town Monday with a pitch focused on political independence and public education, according to KCRG. Speaking to a crowd of more than 100 people alongside his running mate, former Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer, Sand said districts like Dubuque are being forced into closures by underfunding. "We've had 10 years of one-party control, and with that 10 years of one-party control, we've seen consistently our public schools, which our kids depend on too, being underfunded," Sand said. "We're tired of it, and we think that we need to be investing in Iowa's public schools because that's our future right there." The Dubuque Community School District is evaluating structural cuts to bridge an estimated $17 million budget deficit, including proposals to close middle schools and consolidate its two public high schools into a single high school model. District leaders and task forces attribute the shortfall to declining enrollment and state supplemental aid increases that have lagged behind operating costs, according to KCRG. Sand acknowledged that increasing state school aid would require bipartisan negotiations with a legislature Republicans are favored to retain. "We need to increase funding, and I know I'm going to be working with the Republican legislature if I win," he said. Sand and Muhlbauer face Republican nominee Zach Lahn and his running mate, state Rep. Derek Wulf, in Tuesday's general election. Iowa polls are open Tuesday. #RDN