Education Funding

A bill expanding Iowa’s public-funded charter school system passed in the Iowa Senate, sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The proposal was one of her school choice priorities for the legislative session.

In an after-midnight vote, the Iowa House passed a bill to provide public funding for charter schools run by groups unaffiliated with local school districts.

The Iowa House has passed a $27.2 million funding package for schools to cover costs associated with holding classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Iowa House and Senate have settled on a 2.4 percent increase in funding for PreK-12 schools next year. Republicans say it provides reliable funding growth, but Democrats say it’s too little to cover increasing costs.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is prioritizing school choice legislation this year, including a voucher-style program for students in low-performing public schools. But opponents of the bill say it would come at the cost of students who choose to stay.

Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate have reached an agreement to increase state aid to K-12 public schools by 2.4 percent, or about $36.5 million.

State aid for PreK-12 schools would increase 2.2 percent under a bill passed in the Iowa Senate. School districts would also be in line for special funding to cover the cost of dealing with COVID-19, but not Des Moines Public Schools.

Lawmakers in the Iowa legislature are advancing competing proposals to fund schools next year, including special payments to cover the cost of keeping classes safe during the pandemic.

In the Iowa Senate, lawmakers have passed an education package that would put public funding into independent charter schools and scholarship accounts that could be put toward private school tuition.

Iowa Wesleyan University is forming an alliance with Southeastern Community College to boost enrollment for both schools and share certain costs. The announcement comes two years after IWU warned a lack of funds could force it to close within a matter of weeks.