Both chambers of the Iowa Legislature passed legislation to create an education savings account for all K-12 students early Tuesday, priming the Hawkeye State to become the second state to enact a universal school choice program.
The legislation, championed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), passed the state House on a 54-45 vote and the state Senate on a 31-18 vote.
Under the provisions of the legislation, which now heads to Reynolds’s desk for her signature, all K-12 students will be afforded over $7,000 each year by 2025 through an education savings account that can be used to cover all sorts of education-related expenses, including private school tuition. Reynolds may sign the bill as soon as Tuesday.
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“Every student deserves an education tailored to their needs! Democrats only want to protect educational freedom for those who can afford it,” Reynolds tweeted Saturday. “Freedom of choice does not belong to just a few, it belongs to every parent and student!”
Every student deserves an education tailored to their needs! Democrats only want to protect educational freedom for those who can afford it.
Freedom of choice does not belong to just a few, it belongs to every parent and student! pic.twitter.com/3BD2zD2uXp
— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) January 21, 2023
The program will be capped by family income for the first two years but will be available to all students at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. The legislation faced universal opposition from state Democrats and teachers unions, which decried the legislation as a scheme to defund public schools and funnel taxpayer funds to private schools.
Reynolds had attempted to pass similar legislation last year but met opposition from her own party. She was reelected in a 20-point landslide in 2022 as Republicans expanded their legislative majorities in both houses.
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Proponents of school choice say education savings accounts allow families and students to choose the educational experience that best suits their needs, regardless of income status, instead of relying exclusively on the public school system.
In 2022, Arizona became the first state to enact a statewide universal school choice program, with then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R) encouraging other states to follow his lead. Iowa is set to become the second state with a universal school choice program. Similar bills are under consideration in several other states, including Florida and Texas.
