Private and charter schools

Six new charter schools were approved by the Iowa State Board of Education. The number continues to grow since the state passed a law allowing groups without ties to local public school systems to open charter schools.

As lawmakers get ready to reconvene for the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 13, several state agencies and departments have already submitted bills they want lawmakers to consider in the upcoming year.

The Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to send nearly 5,000 electric buses to school districts around the country after a nearly two-year ramp-up. A few Midwestern districts weigh in on how the new buses are working so far.

In the first year for education savings accounts in Iowa, nearly 5,000 more students were approved for funding than estimated when the law was passed.

A longtime northwest Iowa educator who worried he would lose students to private schools didn’t see any change in enrollment this school year.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law last week that’ll eventually offer taxpayer-funded accounts to all families who have kids in private schools. And lawmakers moved forward with proposals to restrict medical malpractice lawsuit payouts, and to change who is eligible for public assistance.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law Tuesday. Once fully implemented, 42,000 private school students could receive state funding at a cost of $345 million per year.

Iowa lawmakers are preparing to vote on a bill that would allow students to use their state-funded per-pupil funding as a scholarship to attend a private institution.

Still in the early weeks of the 2023 legislative session, GOP lawmakers are ready to vote on huge changes to Iowa’s education system. Here's a roundup of what we know about Gov. Kim Reynolds' school choice bill and where it stands.

Political analysts discuss Iowa and national politics, including classified documents found at Biden's personal residence, school choice debates and more.