‘Vouchers’ weaken public schools

Nearly 500,000 children headed back to public school. And, many of our friends and neighbors headed back to work as bus drivers, cooks, custodians, and teachers. Our public schools give our children a great education and an opportunity to succeed and achieve their full potential. We know that especially in rural communities, public schools are the heart of our community.

Unfortunately, Gov. Kim Reynolds and her fellow MAGA Republicans, chose to weaken our public schools by giving taxpayer money to private schools ($7,635 per student who were approved for vouchers).

Reynolds and MAGA Republicans passed this voucher scheme which diverts $142 million of our tax dollars for just the 2023-24 school year. Of that money, almost $100 million goes to private school students who live in just 15 counties. Meanwhile, rural public schools remain underfunded and underappreciated by MAGA Republicans.

Imagine what public schools would look like if legislators would invest $142 million of our taxpayer dollars into them. 90 percent of Iowa kids would have greater opportunities.

Elections matter. If you want your tax dollars to fund public schools, vote for candidates who support our local schools and want to see our public schools and communities thrive. If you believe that private schools deserve millions of our tax dollars, then keep reelecting MAGA Republicans.

Karen Pratte

Waterville