IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
For release: March 31, 2008
Contact:  Lana Oppenheim Schlapkohl, 515-471-8026 or LOppenheim@isea.org

Sen. Mike Gronstal to be honored for commitment to education
ISEA also honors others for service to students

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has been named the 2008 Friend of Education by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). He will be honored on Friday morning, April 4, before a group of nearly 500 educators attending the ISEA's annual meeting at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames.

Gronstal has been a champion for public education and has led efforts to increase funding and expand learning opportunities throughout his more than 30 years of service in the Legislature. He was elected Senate Majority Leader by his fellow Democratic Senators after spearheading their efforts to capture 30 seats in the Iowa Senate in 2006.

One of his first actions as Majority Leader was to pass legislation that made a commitment to increase Iowa teacher pay from 42nd to 25th in the nation. More important, he backed up that commitment with the necessary funding during the 2007 session, and he has guaranteed that additional funding will be appropriated during the 2008 session.

"Mike has worked tirelessly on behalf of Iowa's students and their educators, and we are proud to give him this award," ISEA President Linda Nelson said. "He has demonstrated time and again his commitment to public education and education professionals and his support will help ensure that Iowa can continue to attract and keep top-quality educators at all levels."

Gronstal has been in the Iowa Senate for more than 30 years after serving two years in the Iowa House. He represents Senate District 50, which covers Council Bluffs and Carter Lake. He is a graduate of Council Bluffs' St. Albert High School and Antioch College in Ohio. He also attended Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.

Sen. Gronstal was nominated for the ISEA Friend of Education Award by the Council Bluffs Education Association in January.

In addition to Gronstal, the ISEA will also honor three other individuals this week for their outstanding service to students and public education:

• Floyd Winter, a retired Cedar Falls educator and school administrator who continues to work to expand learning opportunities for students, will receive the Paul Mann Memorial Human Relations Award. This award, which is named in honor of long-time Des Moines teacher and human rights activist Paul Mann, honors an individual or group for exemplary contributions toward the advancement of human and civil rights.
• Jean Swenson, a veteran music teacher from New Hampton, will be honored with the Charles F. Martin Award for Association Leadership -- the top award the Association presents to a member. It is named in honor of Charles F. Martin, the ISEA's president in 1945 who went on to serve as executive director from 1946 to 1961.
• Sheryl Traetow, a paraeducator at Hansen Elementary School in Cedar Falls, will be presented with the Education Support Professional of the year Award for her dedication to supporting teachers, students, and their parents.
  
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  The ISEA is a professional organization made up of nearly 33,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students.  Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!