Hunter
01/23/23
The Iowa House and Senate could begin floor debates today on the school voucher bill championed by Governor Kim Reynolds.
The plan would use public funds to establish educational savings accounts for students to use to attend private schools.
Last week’s hearings on the bill drew passionate debate among those for and against the bill. The Gazette reports more than 1,650 Iowans submitted written comments. House Democrats, who oppose the bill, said 73 percent of the comments submitted online opposed the bill, while 27 percent were in favor.
When fully phased in by year three, all K-12 students would be eligible for the funding regardless of family income. For each student that receives the nearly $7600 in voucher money, that student’s school district funding would be decreased by that amount. The district would be rebated $1200 per student who lives in the district but attends a private school. Proponents of the bill say those districts will get that money whether the student is a recent transfer or has always been a private school attendee.
42 of Iowa’s 99 counties have no private schools, and 75 of them don’t offer a 12th grade.