(Griswold) District #18 Representative Tom Moore from Griswold was one of nine republicans voting against Governor Reynold’s School Choice Bill on Monday. In an interview with KSOM/KS95 News, Moore says he has never favored the Bill.
The Bill passed through the state legislature at the beginning of week three of the new legislative session. The educational savings account allows parents to receive nearly 7,600 hundred annually if they enroll their children in a private school.
Moore says the state will spend $100 million on very few eligible private school students in the first year. He says the effects this will have on the public schools remain to be seen.
Moore says in respect to private schools, he questions whether they can continue their freedom from external control because they are receiving public money.
Moore says another reason he voted against the measure is the heavy opposition to the bill.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Governor Reynolds says for the first time the state will fund students instead of a system, a decisive step in ensuring that every child in Iowa can receive the best education possible. She said Parents, not the government, can now choose the education setting best suited to their child regardless of their income or zip code.
*During the 2023-2024 school year, private school students with household incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL), currently $83,250 for a family of four, are eligible.
*In the 2024-2025 school year, private school eligibility expands to include families with household incomes at or below 400% FPL, currently $111,000 for a family of four, are eligible.
*Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, all K-12 students in Iowa are eligible regardless of family income.
Parents or guardians who enroll their eligible children in an accredited private school will receive an amount equal to the per pupil funds allocated by the state to all public school districts each year. The funds are estimated at $7,598 per pupil for the 2023-2024 school year and will be deposited into an education savings account (ESA) to be used for tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses.
