Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill increasing funding for charter schools

DES MOINES — Cheered on by students at the Horizon Science Academy in Des Moines, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law directing more funding to charter schools and announced a new grant program for the schools on Friday.

Charter schools are publicly funded, do not charge tuition and have many of the same regulations as public schools, but they are independent of their local school districts. Charter schools can set enrollment caps and obtain waivers to avoid certain requirements of public schools, and they often focus on specific subject areas, like science or the arts.

“Charter schools provide another school choice for parents and guardians looking for the education that is best suited for their children’s abilities and needs,” Reynolds said during a ceremony at the school. “... Twenty-two of the nation’s top 100 public high schools are charters. But today, Iowa has just five public charter schools, which serve less than 500 students in the state.”

Reynolds said the new law, along with a $7 million grant program for charter school infrastructure, will broaden opportunities for charter schools in the state.

What the law says

Under the new law, Senate File 2368, categorical funding for professional development and early intervention costs will follow students to their charter school. Currently, those funds stay with their district of residence.

The law also states that public school districts that sell property must sell it to an educational institution — like a charter school, private school, public university or community college — if that institution is the highest bidder. Public schools cannot restrict the sale of the property to another educational institution.

The law allows students who attend online charter schools to participate in extracurricular activities in their district of residence and allows the district to charge up to a $200 fee for that service. It also allows charter schools to enter into agreements with school districts to offer activities that the charter school does not offer.

In addition to the new law, Reynolds announced on Friday she would direct $7 million in federal dollars from the 2021 American Rescue Plan to provide grants for charter school infrastructure projects.

The grant program will award up to $500,000 for new charter schools and up to $200,000 for existing charter schools. The application period opens June 3.

Reynolds signed a law in 2021 that revamped the charter school approval process, allowing schools to apply to the state Board of Education rather than the local school district.

There were two charter schools in Iowa before that law, and three more have opened since, including Horizon Science Academy. Reynolds said eight groups applied to open charter schools in Iowa this year, and two plan to open in August.

The Horizon school

Horizon Science Academy is nearing the end of its first year of instruction. The school offers instruction for grades K-3 and will add fourth grade and preschool in the next school year.

Christine Hensley, the chair of the Horizon Science Academy governing board, said students’ test scores have improved dramatically in the last year at the school.

Laura Cannon, the principal at Horizon, said the small class sizes and charter structure allows the school to do things differently than public schools. She said the new funding will allow the school to access more instructional support.

“Being part of this experience is so amazing because we can kind of navigate and do things a little bit differently than public schools,” she said. “Parents are super supportive and really weigh in on their students' education. I'm out front every single day, greeting parents, and so it really is building that true community partnership.”

Loss of authority

The bill was approved with only Republican votes in this year’s legislative session.

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Democratic Rep. Sue Cahill of Marshalltown, a retired teacher, said during debate in April that she worried the bill would create “winners and losers” by prioritizing charter schools over public schools.

She also said the bill would require school districts to sell property to a direct competitor, if that competitor offered the highest bid on a property.

“We’re taking away the authority of our communities to make decisions about the needs of their own communities,” she said. “The taxpayers of our school districts have entrusted us to protect their interests. This division takes away the voice of the taxpayers in a school district.”

Comments: cmccullough@qctimes.com