Iowa Gov., Kim Reynolds, signed the 100 percent in-person learning option, Senate File 160, this (Friday) morning, giving parents the option to send their children back to school full time. As this bill gets signed, another, Senate File 159, cleared the Senate on the 26 minimum Republican votes needed. This act proposes to establish a student first scholarship program for select students who attend non-public schools. The income tax exempt fund would also modify the tuition and textbook tax credit for the educator expense deduction. With this act, the state would provide money to a family’s public school that could then be transferred to help cover private school expenses without income limits. However, one stipulation is that students must come from a public school that ranks at the bottom level of federal ratings. Locally there is only one school on this list of 34, East Sac County Elementary. On Thursday, the Carroll Community School District Board of Education issued a statement against the student first scholarships. They believe it would result in diversion of taxpayer money away from rural regions and over concerns in education accountability at the private school level. District 6 Senator, Craig Williams, was one of the Republicans that voted yes on this bill as well as the 100 percent in-person learning option, but says he only did so after a great amount of due diligence. Williams sat in on committee meetings outside of his assignments, met with parents, educators, authors of the bills and other stakeholders and read nearly 1,000 emails. He asked questions during caucuses on the legislation and did research of his own before sitting in on the entire debate. He says he voted yes to both because his research has shown him there will be zero impact to the Carroll school district and they are already doing most of what these bills are asking. “The likelihood of Kuemper seeing additional students is zero. Although there is additional tax relief for parents of private school kids moving the deduction form $250/year to $1,000/year. Private school kids save the state $230 million in funds as well as property tax, federal tax and other funding,” according to Williams. Williams will be joining us live next week to talk more about these education bills. Similar legislation is up for consideration in the Iowa House.
