Des Moines, Iowa — Hundreds gathered in person and online for the first subcommittee hearing on the governor’s School Choice plan.
Governor Reynolds is proposing state-funded Educational Savings Accounts for low-income parents who enroll their children in a private school over the next two years, but in the third year, the parents of every Iowa private school student would be eligible for thousands of dollars in state money to cover private school expenses.
Arlene McClintock says private school was out of reach when she was growing up and being bullied at school. She’s leading a group called Hispanics Aligned for Choice in Education Reform.
The governor’s office estimates when fully implemented, the parents of about 40 thousand private school students would be getting at least 341 million dollars in state money annually to cover tuition and other private school expenses.
Justin Hollinrake told lawmakers sending that much state money to support private schools will likely weaken schools where his relatives live in rural Iowa.
The newly-formed House Education Reform Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Tuesday, January 17th at 5 p.m.
