Iowa doesn't need a new private school entitlement

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ voucher plan using public money for private schools is really a reverse Robin Hood scheme that robs from the 90 percent of students in underfunded public districts to fund the 10 percent in private schools.

That means 485,630 students in 357 public schools are shortchanged for the benefit of 46,407 students enrolled in 240 private schools.

It just doesn’t add up.

Here’s how this proposed new entitlement works.

Two groups of students would be eligible to receive a voucher. Those qualifying include students whose family income is less than or equal to 400 percent of the Iowa poverty guidelines, and students with Individual Education Improvement Plans (IEPs).

Under this plan, the number of students receiving vouchers is capped at 10,000 and the voucher amount would be 70 percent, or $5,359, of the current public school cost per pupil of $7,629. If all 10,00 vouchers were used, the public schools will lose $53,590,000.

To appease rural lawmakers into passing her plan, there’s another part to this bill. The remaining 30 percent, or $2,270 of the cost per pupil, goes to small schools of 500 students or less. So, schools with enrollment over 500 would lose again.

Gov. Reynolds claims she’s all about transparency, yet she continues to use four myths to sell her new entitlement.

Myth 1: The funding should follow the student. Having fewer students in a school doesn’t automatically mean costs goes down. There are still students who need lights, heat, teachers, supplies, transportation, etc. Most of the students will remain in public schools. They shouldn’t be shortchanged because some students leave for the private school.

Myth 2: Private schools and public schools should compete because competition is healthy. Competition is healthy, but not when the playing field is tilted in favor of one competitor. Public schools have no control over the raw material they get. All students are accepted. Private schools may accept or reject any student based on private criteria.

If after accepting a student, the school finds, because of discipline or disability, the student doesn’t fit, a private school may choose to permanently remove a student. The only alternatives for those parents are to find another private school miles away, home-school or send the student to public school.

Public schools must provide educational opportunities for all students, even those with discipline problems or disabilities.

Myth 3: Vouchers will assure parents of children with disabilities and those at or below the poverty line have school choice. Currently the average tuition in Iowa for a private high school is $9,033.

Under the Reynolds plan, remember the voucher amount is $5,349. Private schools accepting vouchers will not be required to cap their tuition at that voucher amount. Private schools also will not be required to accept special education students.

Myth 4: Private schools will be available in rural Iowa. When the bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” Private schools need to go where the students are. That means the urban and suburban areas. Rural Iowa could become education deserts with an underfunded public school and no private school within driving distance.

Private schools serve a distinct purpose. They are private primarily for two reasons. They don’t want to be tied down by government regulations, and parents often want their religious values reinforced at school.

There’s nothing wrong with those ideas, if the schools aren’t financed using public dollars robbed from underfunded public schools. Iowa doesn’t need a new private school entitlement program that will never end and will continue to grow.

Bruce Lear of Sioux City taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years. He grew up in Shellsburg. BruceLear2419@gmail.com