High School Students Form Group to Advocate for More School Funding

A group of Cedar Rapids high school students formed an organization to advocate for more school funding from lawmakers.

Students at Kennedy High School started the Iowa Student Union two weeks ago. They held a meeting Monday where they focused on recruiting new members from other schools and spreading the word about their organization to gain support.

The group is advocating for a 4 percent increase in education funding and more student representation on different school boards.

At their meeting they discussed fundraising to make leaflets and how their newsletter will kickoff sometime this week.

So far, the organization has 60 members from several different high schools and is hoping to spread throughout the state. They have chapters starting at Jefferson and Washington High Schools in Cedar Rapids.

Kyle Scheer, founder and president of the Iowa Student Union wants to boost student participation.

"We're advocating for student representation on school boards and in the education conversation," he said. "We feel it is extremely important that students get involved in their education."