Iowa Senate advances bill for state grants to private school students

Legislation to provide state grants of about $4,000 annually to students enrolling in private schools moved forward Thursday in the Iowa Senate, despite criticism it would hurt public education and result in taxpayer support for religious-based schools.

Senate Study Bill 3206 cleared a Senate subcommittee on a 2-1 vote, sending it to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. Nineteen people testified for or against the bill, which supporters described as providing more choices for parents in an effort to improve their children's academic achievement.

"Children are extremely different," said Chuck Hurley, a father of 10 children who is vice president and chief counsel of The Family Leader, a Christian conservative advocacy group. “What you are saying is that parents, you are as smart or smarter about your children’s needs than our government officials."

The bill, known as the "Iowa Student Opportunity Act," says kindergarten students enrolling in private schools would be eligible for state grants, as would any other student who has attended a public school for the two immediately preceding semesters. Home-school students and students currently attending private schools would not be eligible.

Families could access the money through education savings accounts while using electronic debit cards or checks. Money would carry over each year if it isn’t spent. If any money remains after a student graduates from high school, it could be used for some higher education costs until the student reaches a certain age.

The legislation is opposed by the Iowa State Education Association, Iowa Association of School Boards, Des Moines Public Schools; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' Council 61;  American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, One Iowa,  and others. Supporters include the Iowa Catholic Conference, Iowa Association of Christian Schools, Americans for Prosperity and others.

Claire Celsi of West Des Moines, representing Iowans for Public Education, a grassroots group of parents and activists, opposed the bill, saying it will siphon money from public schools and divert it to private schools.

"This is going to cause devastating and disrupting conditions all over the state of Iowa," Celsi said.

Keenan Crow of One Iowa, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ Iowans, cited research indicating that nearly all of Iowa's private schools are religious-based. Many of these schools have policies that either explicitly discriminate or reserve the right to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, he said.

"We don’t believe taxpayer funding should be propping up this kind of discriminatory behavior," Crow said.

Melissa Peterson, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association, strongly disputed the idea that Iowa public school students lack choices in their education, citing magnet schools and other options. Iowa schools have a history of serving "the many," she remarked, adding, "Public educators go out of their way to understand that education is not one size fits all."

But Tracy Bonday, superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, said that while public schools will always be the backbone of Iowa's educational system, private schools can provide a different learning experience.

"Ever child is unique and every child has different needs, and these needs cannot necessarily be met in one building," said Bonday, who spoke for the Iowa Catholic Conference. All of Iowa's Catholic schools are accredited, nonpublic institutions that meet all state requirements, she added.

Drew Klein, representing Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group funded by industrialists David H. Koch and Charles Koch, suggested the bill would help taxpayers receive the best return on their investment.

"We want to empower parents," Klein said. "This is an approach that really plays into that. Not only is it for the sake of freedom and giving parents more choices. But we would expect educational achievement to improve."

Hurley said the U.S. Supreme Court has already concluded such legislation is constitutional. He cited a 2002 ruling in the case of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, in which the high court decided on a 5-4 vote to uphold an Ohio program for school vouchers, even if the vouchers could be used for private, religious schools.

"This is perfectly constitutional. You are not giving money to a ministry," Hurley told lawmakers.

Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, and Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, both voted for the bill in the Senate subcommittee. Rozenboom said the Pella area is served by a private Christian high school and a public high school, and competition between the two schools improves both institutions.

Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, voted against the bill, saying he gave it three "F" grades. Those stood for a lack of fiscal responsibility, a false choice by creating unequal opportunities for those who could take advantage of it versus those who couldn't, and failure of an Iowa fairness test by creating unnecessary divisions among Iowans, he said.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, as committee-sponsored legislation. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, told reporters Thursday he expects members of the Senate Republican Caucus to have a full discussion about what they want to do with the bill. He didn't make any predictions.

"This is something that  a lot of members in our caucus are passionate about. We want to give it a fair hearing and see what the bill will look like. So the Appropriations Committee will continue to work on it," Whitver said.

The total cost of the state grant program has not been determined, but Senate Republicans anticipate about 2 percent of Iowa students would participate. 

Similar legislation was introduced in the Iowa House earlier this session, but it failed to advance. The House bill would have given students about $5,000 each to put into education savings accounts and would have expanded the ability of charter schools to operate in Iowa.