Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will appear in a new 30-second ad promoting legislation that would create state-funded private school scholarships.
Priorities for Iowa, a conservative political action committee based in Des Moines, launched a six-figure ad buy across Iowa in support of Reynolds’ “school choice” legislation.
The group announced the new ad Monday featuring the governor in a classroom discussing the need to give parents more choices for their children’s education.
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In the video, Reynolds states Iowa has increased school funding by $1 billion in the past decade.
"But money alone isn’t the solution. Parents also need choice," Reynolds says in the ad. "To send their kids to whatever school is best for them regardless of income or ZIP code."
Iowa House Republicans have pushed back on the voucher program for the past two years over objections from rural school districts who fear the proposal would sap state aid to public schools and limit course offerings, lead to larger class sizes and force more school consolidations.
The proposal, which was a major plank of Reynolds’ re-election campaign and one of her top priorities for the newly begun 2023 legislative session, would have taken about $5,360 out of a public school for each student who took advantage of the program, for use at a private or charter school. That plan would have made 10,000 scholarships available to families. The plan included a provision that distributed some of a student’s per-pupil funding to rural schools to mitigate some of the negative effects.
The Iowa State Education Association, a teachers union in Iowa, criticized the ad Monday.
“Iowa families already have a choice in where they send their students to school,” ISEA President Mike Beranek said in a statement. “Iowa families do not want to use public money for private schools to pick and choose who they will admit. Private school vouchers pull critical resources from public schools which educate 90 percent of our students. Iowa families choose public money for public schools.”
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Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver her annual condition of the state address at 6 p.m. Tuesday from the House chambers at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.
Reynolds’ address to the Iowa Legislature will be aired live by Iowa PBS. It can be viewed here at thegazette.com.
Reynolds, who has been Iowa’s chief executive since 2017 and is the state’s first female governor, is coming into the legislative session off her second election victory.
The governor’s Condition of the State address kicks off a series of similar addresses to state lawmakers. On Wednesday, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen will deliver the condition of the judiciary address, and on Thursday, Iowa National Guard Adjt. Gen. Ben Corell will deliver the condition of the Guard address.
Iowa PBS will stream Christensen’s and Corell’s speeches live online at iowapbs.org. Those speeches also will be viewable at thegazette.com.
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $1.1 billion — which would feature a $568.7 million cash option — ahead of Tuesday’s drawing, according to the Iowa Lottery.
It is the third-highest jackpot in the game’s history and fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot, state lottery officials said.
The latest big jackpot comes on the heels of a world-record $2 billion world-record Powerball jackpot in November.
The Mega Millions jackpot has grown because the game has not had a winner since Oct. 14.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday announced more than $443,000 in federal pandemic money has been awarded to five projects involving 11 businesses in the state that will help create 77 new child slots.
The money will be used to support partnerships between employers and child care centers to expand available slots.
Projects awarded funding include:
Grant funding provided to awarded employers will be used to fund part of the cost of child care for employees. All projects were required to provide a plan for sustainability of the outcome beyond the grant funding.
The last round of funding in September created nearly 1,800 new child care slots in 23 communities across Iowa, said Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia.
www.thegazette.com
Priorities for Iowa, a conservative political action committee based in Des Moines, launched a six-figure ad buy across Iowa in support of Reynolds’ “school choice” legislation.
The group announced the new ad Monday featuring the governor in a classroom discussing the need to give parents more choices for their children’s education.
Advertisement
In the video, Reynolds states Iowa has increased school funding by $1 billion in the past decade.
"But money alone isn’t the solution. Parents also need choice," Reynolds says in the ad. "To send their kids to whatever school is best for them regardless of income or ZIP code."
Iowa House Republicans have pushed back on the voucher program for the past two years over objections from rural school districts who fear the proposal would sap state aid to public schools and limit course offerings, lead to larger class sizes and force more school consolidations.
The proposal, which was a major plank of Reynolds’ re-election campaign and one of her top priorities for the newly begun 2023 legislative session, would have taken about $5,360 out of a public school for each student who took advantage of the program, for use at a private or charter school. That plan would have made 10,000 scholarships available to families. The plan included a provision that distributed some of a student’s per-pupil funding to rural schools to mitigate some of the negative effects.
The Iowa State Education Association, a teachers union in Iowa, criticized the ad Monday.
“Iowa families already have a choice in where they send their students to school,” ISEA President Mike Beranek said in a statement. “Iowa families do not want to use public money for private schools to pick and choose who they will admit. Private school vouchers pull critical resources from public schools which educate 90 percent of our students. Iowa families choose public money for public schools.”
Condition of the State address
On Iowa Politics
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Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver her annual condition of the state address at 6 p.m. Tuesday from the House chambers at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.
Reynolds’ address to the Iowa Legislature will be aired live by Iowa PBS. It can be viewed here at thegazette.com.
Reynolds, who has been Iowa’s chief executive since 2017 and is the state’s first female governor, is coming into the legislative session off her second election victory.
The governor’s Condition of the State address kicks off a series of similar addresses to state lawmakers. On Wednesday, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen will deliver the condition of the judiciary address, and on Thursday, Iowa National Guard Adjt. Gen. Ben Corell will deliver the condition of the Guard address.
Iowa PBS will stream Christensen’s and Corell’s speeches live online at iowapbs.org. Those speeches also will be viewable at thegazette.com.
Lottery hits a billion
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an estimated $1.1 billion — which would feature a $568.7 million cash option — ahead of Tuesday’s drawing, according to the Iowa Lottery.
It is the third-highest jackpot in the game’s history and fifth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot, state lottery officials said.
The latest big jackpot comes on the heels of a world-record $2 billion world-record Powerball jackpot in November.
The Mega Millions jackpot has grown because the game has not had a winner since Oct. 14.
Reynolds awards child care grants to businesses
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday announced more than $443,000 in federal pandemic money has been awarded to five projects involving 11 businesses in the state that will help create 77 new child slots.
The money will be used to support partnerships between employers and child care centers to expand available slots.
Projects awarded funding include:
- Versova Management, Sioux Center (15 new slots)
- HNI Corp., Muscatine (eight new slots)
- MercyOne Medical Center, Waterloo (36 new slots)
- Siouxland DQ, Sergeant Bluff (10 new slots)
- Mason City Chamber Foundation, Mason City (eight new slots)
Grant funding provided to awarded employers will be used to fund part of the cost of child care for employees. All projects were required to provide a plan for sustainability of the outcome beyond the grant funding.
The last round of funding in September created nearly 1,800 new child care slots in 23 communities across Iowa, said Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia.
Capitol Notebook: Reynolds appears in ad advocating school choice legislation
Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will appear in a new 30-second ad promoting legislation that would create state-funded private school scholarships.
www.thegazette.com
