State House District 84 Representative Joe Mitchell (R) of Wayland is upholding his stance against the school voucher system proposed for students in underperforming public schools that has passed the Senate and now sits in the House Education Committee.

Senate File 159 follows what Governor Kim Reynolds set out in her condition of the state address to establish a “student first scholarship program” for those attending schools rated as needing comprehensive support under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, and creates a charter school system for groups to apply to form their own schools that would receive state per-pupil funding. Rep. Mitchell says no school superintendents in his district have voiced support for the bill. Mitchell comments as to whether he will vote for the bill as it currently stands, “If that specific piece of policy including the ESA (Education Savings Account) or the vouchers as people are saying. If that was in the bill I would not support that, no.”

The bill passed by a vote of 26-21 in the Republican-led Senate. Organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Iowa Conference of United Methodist Church, and Area Education Agencies of Iowa have lobbied against it. Find a link to public comments filed on the legislation by visiting here.