Gov. Reynolds changes 'school choice' proposal. Here's what is in the new bill

DES MOINES, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds gave her 6th Condition of the State Address Tuesday night in the Iowa House Chamber.

We either want to give every child a chance to succeed, or we don’t. So tonight, I’m announcing a comprehensive education reform package that will focus on improving education for all children," Gov. Kim Reynolds said.

In her speech, she laid out an education proposal, similar to the one Iowans saw at the statehouse last session.

Gov. Reynolds introduced a new "school choice" bill, which will be her third year pushing for this type of legislation.

Regardless of the reason, every parent should have a choice of where to send their child—and that choice shouldn’t be limited to families who can afford it," Gov. Kim Reynolds said.

Similar to last year's bill, families who wish to send their kids to private school would be able to apply for an education savings account, for which the state will give $7,598 to their account.

That amount is the total per pupil funding that public schools would receive if that student was attending their school, but instead, it would be directed towards private schools.

For students currently attending a private school, the plan will be phased in, focusing first on the families with the lowest income levels," Gov. Reynolds said. "And in three years, every family will have a choice in education. And no child will be limited by income or zip code.

This bill would be phased in over three years.

The first year, families making $83,250 or less, whether they are in public schools or private, can apply.

In year two, families making $111,000 or less can apply, and in the third year, all Iowa families can apply.

This proposal is different from last year's, proposing $1,205 to go towards public schools for any student in their district either transferring to a private school or already attending a private school.

The Governor's office said this was to help make up for the loss of funds public schools would be facing.

Robbing our public schools and shifting funds to unaccountable private entities with her voucher scheme," Progress Iowa said.

Within the first year, the Governor's office estimates this proposal will cost $106.9 million and that only about 1% of students enrolled in public schools will transfer.

But every child is an individual who deserves an education tailored to their unique needs, and parents are in the best position to identify the right environment," Gov. Reynolds said.

During the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Reynolds set out to pass a similar bill, but Republicans in the Iowa House failed to get on board.

Many were worried that schools in their district wouldn't be able to cope with the loss of funding.

Democrats were opposed to the "school choice" bill last session and they feel the same way about the governor's new proposal.

Instead of investing in our public schools to ensure that every child’s needs are met, Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans are hell-bent on dumping public dollars into the coffers of unaccountable out-of-state corporations. Kim Reynolds is not offering a choice. She is stacking the deck against our public schools and setting our kids and educators up for failure. Iowa Democrats are committed to putting people over politics, and we won’t sit back while Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans chip away at the foundational principles of our state," Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said.

The Iowa Senate passed last year's proposal and the Senate Majority Leader has said school choice will be one of their top priorities.

Speaker of the House Pat Grassley is also determined to get something passed, even starting a new education reform committee dedicated to school choice and education reform.

"Tonight Governor Reynolds outlined a vision for the future of our state that fits well with House Republicans' priorities for the 2023 Legislative Session," Rep. Grassley said. "I'm eager to get to work on delivering conservative solutions to the concerns and priorities we've heard consistently from Iowans like workforce shortages, education reform, government spending and efficiency, and more."