ESAs will make a difference for Iowa students, families

I am in support of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal for expanding school choice in our state. Her Education Savings Account (ESA) proposal would protect and increase public school funding, while also allowing many parents additional flexibility in deciding where to send their children to school.

Iowa has a long history of allowing parents to determine and pursue the best educational options for their own children. Iowa was among the first states to require public school districts to provide bus service to children attending private schools within the same district. Iowa was also one of the first states to adopt statewide open enrollment in 1989 and has passed various measures protecting parents’ rights to home-school their children. The most recent ESA proposal is a logical extension of the State of Iowa’s long-standing policy supporting parents’ rights in deciding their children’s educational future.

Parents consider many factors when evaluating where to send their children to school. Value systems, location or proximity, and financial considerations are chief among them. It has been made increasingly evident over the last several years that administrators of some Iowa public school districts place a higher value on advancing a specific agenda than educating our children. When parents do not share the public school district’s values, they will invariably look for alternatives outside the public education system.

Additionally, for many parents a private school option already exists within their public school district. These parents may wish to send their children to the nearby private school, but not have the financial means to do so. In districts where no private option exists, families may discover or encourage enough support to open a new private school within that district. And for many families, the additional financial support available for attending private schools will be a difference-maker in their children’s educational outcomes.

Ultimately, parents want the best educational options available for their children. This is the reason why public and private school options matter when people choose where to work and where to live. In supporting the Governor’s proposal for Educational Savings Accounts, Iowa will be making a strong statement of support to the existing public school system, as well as providing parents the ability to choose a non-public school option as they deem appropriate for their situation.

In order to have a vibrant and growing state, we need strong educational options for both the public and private schools so as to attract more people from all walks of life to live in the great state of Iowa.

Thomas Hogan lives in Marion.

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