Public Schools, Private Schools, and Micro-Schools; Oh My!
On Monday, March 3rd, the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee met to discuss the future of Education Choice in Iowa. Education Choice refers to the various avenues parents can take to have their children effectively educated throughout their adolescence. Some choices include public schools, private schools, homeschools, and microschools. All of these options have the potential to receive funding from the state using public dollars, making this conversation impactful on all Iowans.
The purpose of the meeting was to share a presentation by EdChoice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making more forms of education available for parents and communities to utilize for their children. The overall argument to support Education Choice programs is that public schools typically spend more per-student pre-year than outside Education Choice programs.
Funding education choice programs intends to allow rural communities to find schooling opportunities outside of public schools that may be inaccessible. States with existing education choice programs that have large rural populations, like Iowa, found that the top Education Choice program utilized in their state was micro-schools. These schools have one or two teachers and serve a limited number of students.
The presenters discussed that funding education choice programs is important because 2% of school-aged children participate in schooling outside of the public school setting, but only take up 1% of the education budget. Supporters of Education Choice ask for 0.3% of the total budget, while public education makes up 18.1% of the budget.
A post-COVID study on Education Choice done in Iowa found that the average amount spent from an ESA per student was $6,800, which was $600 less than the maximum amount. Studies that covered different states across the country found that in states that never had an ESA policy, private school tuition increased by 28%, and in states that always had an ESA policy private school tuition rose by 15%.
While these are promising numbers for parents and families who are interested in private schools, there was no information shared about the impact that the funding adjustments had on public schools. School choice provides unique and positive education opportunities for students and parents, but there are more questions about what these policies mean for the public schools of Iowa. These discussions will continue throughout the legislative session.
It’s important to note that the Iowa Legislature has yet to appropriate funds for schools, something typically done by February. The House is holding out for 2.25% increase; the Senate and Governor are stuck at 2%. The Senate bill, which passed on party-line vote, added an additional $157 per student and $148.9 million total increase in state funding to public schools. Meanwhile, schools say they need far more than either of those numbers (Senate Democrats offered a 5% amendment that was shot down).
Written by Jessica Seelinger, LWVIA lobby intern