While legislation has yet to come forward, one bill that has been waiting in the wings during the current legislative session involves what’s been termed an educational savings account program. State Senator Rich Taylor (D) warns this is just a different name being tacked on to the school voucher program that was rejected in years past. Public schools receive about $8,000 a year for each student they educate. The educational savings account program would give that $8,000 to parents to spend on education as they see fit. They can give it to the public schools, use it as payment for tuition to a private school, or keep the money and home school.

Taylor believes the program would mean the end for countless rural public schools, as well as many private schools. He explains, the legislation looks like it will eliminate the student organization credits, which will hurt a lot of the private and parochial schools, because that’s where a large share of their funding comes from. He estimates $12 million of tax credits are used for the student organization credits, and he believes the funding for the educational savings program will come largely from there. Taylor isn’t optimistic of the chances of the schools in Iowa if the legislation passes, “It will encourage everybody to teach their kids at home, pocket the money, and I see that happening. I see it tearing down our local schools because if we go to that, our local schools won’t be able to compete.” He adds, parents could conceivably not spend a dime of their $8,000 on K-12 schools, and instead use it for college savings, or other non-educational purposes. Senate File 29 deals with the education savings accounts and is currently at the subcommittee stage.