DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Iowa House Democrats on Friday claimed the state’s new school vouchers have caused public schools to close.
Passed in 2023, Iowa taxpayers have already spent $360 million on the Educational Savings Accounts program. It gives scholarships of up to $7,800 to pay for private school instead of public.
Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst claimed Friday that’s boosted private schools across the state, mostly in urban areas. “We have seen 36 new private schools open in this state in the last two years and only four of those are in rural communities,” she said.
Thirteen of the 36 new private schools are in the Des Moines metro.
“The majority of those schools have opened this year. We know that they knew the voucher program was in existence and was coming and it gave them a reason to build here,” she said.
State Rep. Sue Cahillof Marshalltown says the program is affecting students across the state, especially in rural areas. …