Iowa’s “Students First Act” (House File 68), was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds Tuesday, January 24th. The bill passed the House by a vote of 55-45 and the Senate 31-18 the evening before. It was great timing as both chambers passed the bill and Governor Reynolds signed it during National School Choice Week. How appropriate! You can visit our legislative scorecard to see how your Representative and Senator voted.
The Iowa Association of Christian Schools applauds the passage of the Students First Act! After many years of advocating for parents and their students, we are thrilled that all Iowans will have the opportunity to choose the school that best fits their children’s needs. We see a future with great public and private options for every Iowa family. We are grateful to all supporters of Christian education who reached out to their legislators on behalf of parental rights and school choice for every Iowan!
It’s time to celebrate but we still have much to do:
The first action item now that the bill is signed into law is to thank our legislators. Please utilize our latest action alert and take a 60 seconds to thank your legislators if they voted yes. We want to make sure they understand how important this bill is and how much we appreciate their support!
Also, please attend any local forums your legislators are hosting and thank them in person too. Also, be sure you keep the newsletter box checked when you click the link to thank your legislators as we’ll be updating Iowans on the rule-making process and ESA implementation in general. The Iowa Department of Education also has a page up on their website describing the program and offering email alerts too. We encourage you to sign up for that as well.
The Department will write rules soon to implement the program and there is a June deadline for parents to apply once the system is up and running. Timing is to be determined. We’ve had many questions and we’ll answer them as best we can in upcoming communications but the most common one is who qualifies. Here is a brief summary of the bill from the Governor’s Office website:
Students First Act signed into law
On January 24, 2023, Governor Reynolds signed the Students First Act into law, just two weeks after introducing it in her annual Condition of the State address. The bill makes state education funding available for K-12 students who choose to attend private schools. It also provides public schools with additional categorical funding for students who live in their district but attend private schools, and allows public school districts to use unspent money from some categorical funds to supplement teacher salaries.
Education Savings Accounts
With the passage of the Students First Act, parents who enroll their eligible children in an accredited private school will receive an amount equal to the per pupil funds allocated by the state to all public school districts each year. The funds are estimated at $7,598 per pupil for the 2023-2024 school year and will be deposited into an education savings account (ESA) to be used for tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses.
Funds are deposited into an education savings account (ESA) each year until students graduate or complete high school or turn 20 years of age. Remaining balances are returned to the state general fund.
Effective for the 2023-24 school year, ESAs will be available based on the following eligibility:
Year 1: School Year 2023-24
All kindergarten students
All public school students
Private school students with a household income at or below 300% FPL, $83,250 for a family of four
Year 2: School Year 2024-25
All kindergarten students
All public school students
Private school students with a household income at or below 400% FPL, $111,000 for a family of four
Year 3: School Year 2025-26
All K-12 students in Iowa regardless of income
The ESA application period will open in the coming weeks. Families interested in more information should visit the Iowa Department of Education website and sign up to receive notifications when updates are posted.
Other student funding generated by categorical funding formulas will remain with public school districts. This will include approximately $1,205 per pupil in new funding for students who live in their district but attend a private school.
Teacher Salaries
With the passage of the Students First Act, public school districts have the flexibility to use unspent funding from Teacher Leadership and Compensation, Professional Development, and Talented and Gifted categorical funds to supplement teacher salaries.
Thank you, again, to everyone who reached out to their legislators to make this happen. Please use our current action alert to thank those same legislators!
Looking for your nearest Christian schools? You can find them here!