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Gov. Reynolds signs 'school choice' bill into law, next steps already in motion


Gov. Reynolds signs 'school choice' bill into law, next steps already in motion
Gov. Reynolds signs 'school choice' bill into law, next steps already in motion
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The third time was a charm for Governor Kim Reynolds Tuesday, after finally seeing her private school tuition bill pass the finish line.

Wasting no time, Reynolds signed the bill into law, to give Iowa families public money to send their child to private schools.

What an amazing day for our children and parents," Governor Kim Reynolds said.

Once the program is officially set up, Iowa families can apply for education savings account.

Each year, they’d get roughly $7,600 to pay for things like tuition, tutoring, or books.

Iowa will now lead the nation in educational opportunities and school choice options for our families," Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said.

While Republicans are calling this a historic day, it didn't come without opposition.

Between the two chambers, roughly eight hours of debate took place Monday night, and Democrats aren’t happy.

State Senator Claire Celsi could be heard yelling from the rotunda during the governors speech.

Nobody wants vouchers," Sen. Celsi said.

The Iowa State Education Association joined Democrats, voicing concerns about the impact of the new law.

"Passing of this bill means that Iowa is taking a new direction, and we're very leery of that direction that we're about to undergo," President of the Iowa State Education Association Mike Beranek said.

The non-partisan Legislative Services Agency estimates it will cost the state $345 million annually once fully implemented,

But that's without knowing how much it will cost a business to run the program.

This is not a fight with our private schools," Beranek said. "It is a discussion and a philosophy of utilizing tax dollars that have been contributed by everyone here in the state, for a select few to choose to go to a private school.

The next steps for the law are already in motion, with a new website for Iowa parents to learn more about the program, along with an application for businesses to apply to run it.

We're standing up a website on the [Iowa] Department of Education that will launch today, as well and it'll have information there," Gov. Reynolds said. "They can sign up to get additional information so they don't have to request it all the time.

When Iowa families can start to apply for the education savings account is still up in the air, but they will need to do so before June 30th.

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