Iowa school voucher scam update: Private schools raising tuition up to 40%. Special ed services to public schools will have a 30 million dollar cut

[gohawks50]

Are these 29,000 applications from families with kids currently in public school? Or 29,000 from kids already in private school?
Or a mix of both?

Would need to see the detailed figures before the total number could be used to further your assertion.

Couple of interesting quotes from this article:

• While final numbers remain unconfirmed, 40% of the applications approved — roughly 7,000 — are students currently attending a public school who plan to move to an accredited private school using ESA funds. The remaining 60% are students already attending accredited private schools.

• There are about 9,000 open seats available in accredited private schools, the governor’s office said, meaning there may be more ESA applications accepted than there are available spots. If a student is approved for an ESA but does not attend private school, their account will be closed for the school year and the funds will be returned to the state’s general fund.

More than 29,000 apply for Iowa private-school funds in first year • Iowa Capital Dispatch

More than double the amount of expected students applied for Iowa's Education Savings Account program, the governor's office reported.

iowacapitaldispatch.com

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Couple of interesting quotes from this article:

• While final numbers remain unconfirmed, 40% of the applications approved — roughly 7,000 — are students currently attending a public school who plan to move to an accredited private school using ESA funds. The remaining 60% are students already attending accredited private schools.

• There are about 9,000 open seats available in accredited private schools, the governor’s office said, meaning there may be more ESA applications accepted than there are available spots. If a student is approved for an ESA but does not attend private school, their account will be closed for the school year and the funds will be returned to the state’s general fund.

More than 29,000 apply for Iowa private-school funds in first year • Iowa Capital Dispatch

More than double the amount of expected students applied for Iowa's Education Savings Account program, the governor's office reported.

iowacapitaldispatch.com

Thanks, helpful breakdown.

And really, even if hypothetically all 29,000 applications were from current public school students, that’s still just ~5% of public school students wanting to leave. And if you consider many are likely from families with multiple children, it’s actually a pretty small number choosing to leave public schools.

 

[tumorboy]

Couple of interesting quotes from this article:

• While final numbers remain unconfirmed, 40% of the applications approved — roughly 7,000 — are students currently attending a public school who plan to move to an accredited private school using ESA funds. The remaining 60% are students already attending accredited private schools.

• There are about 9,000 open seats available in accredited private schools, the governor’s office said, meaning there may be more ESA applications accepted than there are available spots. If a student is approved for an ESA but does not attend private school, their account will be closed for the school year and the funds will be returned to the state’s general fund.

More than 29,000 apply for Iowa private-school funds in first year • Iowa Capital Dispatch

More than double the amount of expected students applied for Iowa's Education Savings Account program, the governor's office reported.

iowacapitaldispatch.com

So basically the private school attendee's have first priority for the funds.

 

[JRHawk2003]

How much lube will the catholic schools need?

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

So basically the private school attendee's have first priority for the funds.

And the private schools are inflating their tuition because free money, many Iowa kids don’t have a private school option available to them, and the Iowa taxpayers are getting soaked reimbursing rich people for Junior’s private school tuition.

Seems fair. Yeah Iowa.

 

[Joes Place]

The teachers unions have already decimated public schools if performance matters.
More families than expected looking for better education for kids sending the snowflakes off the edge in this thread is hilarious.

Where are these teacher’s unions, dog? They don’t even exist in Iowa. If you wanna blame piss poor parenting, you might have an argument....but to blame non-existent teacher’s unions for Iowa’s “public school dilemma” is 100% bullshit. Maybe look to how the Iowa Legislature has traditionally underfunded it’s public schools....

Oooh....Dogboy got PWNED here!!!

 

[Joes Place]

And the private schools are inflating their tuition because free money, many Iowa kids don’t have a private school option available to them, and the Iowa taxpayers are getting soaked reimbursing rich people for Junior’s private school tuition.

Seems fair. Yeah Iowa.

Public schools will have to reduce their spend on "regular" students, since the higher-cost special needs kids will eat up more of their allotments.

Using the "average" cost per kid was always going to drain resources from public schools. This was by design.

 

[bdcolt45er]

29,000 applications when they only expected a max of 14,000 is just a reflection of how absolutely shitty the public schools are in Iowa.

It's more a reflection on the estimate than anything. The estimate was intentionally low in order to lower the expected cost to make it more palatable.

 

[MitchLL]

Terrace Hill just fleeced the general public and subsidized her wealthy donors with this program.

"Abuse of power" seems appropriate here.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Terrace Hill just fleeced the general public and subsidized her wealthy donors with this program.

"Abuse of power" seems appropriate here.

And she made certain the state auditor would not be able to do his job and check where the money was going.

 

[Pete Malloy]

Spin it hard pinehawk....spin it however you must!
The Iowa GOP believes in “welfare for the wealthy”..... they do it all the time, in a million different ways....and they never include any type of “means resting”....Imagine how you would be squealing I’d Chet Culver and Dems would have passed the piece of shit legislation?

$128,000 isn't wealthy for a working couple with a bunch of kids by any stretch of the imagination.

Do better.

 

[Pete Malloy]

Another clown making excuses. What a bitch.

Students First Education Savings Accounts


Year 1: School Year 2023-2024

• All entering kindergarten students
• All students enrolled in a public school
• A student enrolled in an accredited nonpublic school with a household income at or below 300% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines, $90,000 for a family of four

 

[Pete Malloy]

Where are these teacher’s unions, dog? They don’t even exist in Iowa. If you wanna blame piss poor parenting, you might have an argument....but to blame non-existent teacher’s unions for Iowa’s “public school dilemma” is 100% bullshit. Maybe look to how the Iowa Legislature has traditionally underfunded it’s public schools....

The Excuse Train is pulling out of the Station!

 

[Tom Paris]

The teachers unions have already decimated public schools if performance matters.
More families than expected looking for better education for kids sending the snowflakes off the edge in this thread is hilarious.

Another ridiculous comment. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

 

[Pete Malloy]

Another ridiculous comment. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

He nailed it, the NEA is nothing but an extension of the DNC.

 

[RileyHawk]

Thanks, helpful breakdown.

And really, even if hypothetically all 29,000 applications were from current public school students, that’s still just ~5% of public school students wanting to leave. And if you consider many are likely from families with multiple children, it’s actually a pretty small number choosing to leave public schools.

And even fewer when after the school decides who gets in. The notion that this is school choice for parents/children is a complete farce. It's a subsidy for private schools (primarily christian based) and the families already attending. A complete sham.

No surprise that the right wing gullibles are buying this.

 

[Tom Paris]

And even fewer when after the school decides who gets in. The notion that this is school choice for parents/children is a complete farce. It's a subsidy for private schools (primarily christian based) and the families already attending. A complete sham.

No surprise that the right wing gullibles are buying this.

This. Totally this. People in poverty STILL can’t afford private schools in the majority of cases.

 

[MitchLL]

Another ridiculous comment. You don’t know what you’re talking about.

Has never stopped him/her before.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

$128,000 isn't wealthy for a working couple with a bunch of kids by any stretch of the imagination.

Do better.

It’s top 10% in Iowa.

2/10

Do better.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

This. Totally this. People in poverty STILL can’t afford private schools in the majority of cases.

And you just know there were a lot of current parents asking, “You’re ummm…you’re not actually going to let all these kids in are you?”

 

[Huey Grey]

The teachers unions have already decimated public schools if performance matters.
More families than expected looking for better education for kids sending the snowflakes off the edge in this thread is hilarious.

How do people still believe this bullshit? Teacher unions have near zero power in this state.

 

[joelbc1]

Some of the books found in public school libraries are part of the problem Joel. We should be able to agree that the graphic content is inappropriate. So much so that media outlets wouldn't show it and school boards wouldn't allow some of the language to be read aloud in public meetings.

Yet here we are...with you and others wondering why people are fleeing the schools.

News media outlets sell news...and live to stir shit up. Those books, for the most part, bother no one except some parents. People are “fleeing schools” where? Certainly not here in Urbandale. Most of this flight from public schools is the 21st century version of white flight. By and large, for the vast majority of Iowans, they are well served by their public schools. Two things.....my “tax money” should never go towards any religious institution and private schools need to be monitored and held to the same standards as the local community schools are....and required to take all applicants"

 

[Pete Malloy]

How do people still believe this bullshit? Teacher unions have near zero power in this state.

It’s at the national level they control elections and have influence on politicians and policy.

 

[DogBoyRy]

News media outlets sell news...and live to stir shit up. Those books, for the most part, bother no one except some parents. People are “fleeing schools” where? Certainly not here in Urbandale. Most of this flight from public schools is the 21st century version of white flight. By and large, for the vast majority of Iowans, they are well served by their public schools. Two things.....my “tax money” should never go towards any religious institution and private schools need to be monitored and held to the same standards as the local community schools are....and required to take all applicants"

Your tax $$ don’t go to the school/church.
Private - take all applicants. Gold.

 

[joelbc1]

It’s at the national level they control elections and have influence on politicians and policy.

Schools are locally controlled Peter. I will guarantee you that 80% of the teachers in my hometown have no clue what a Democrat is....and they all are probably members of a national teacher’s union. And I’m thinking my hometown is pretty typical of a school in Iowa and not the exception.

 

[Pete Malloy]

It’s top 10% in Iowa.

2/10

Do better.

From zero to 90,000 covers all the poors in Iowa.

Reality wins.

 

[Pete Malloy]

Schools are locally controlled Peter. I will guarantee you that 80% of the teachers in my hometown have no clue what a Democrat is....and they all are probably members of a national teacher’s union. And I’m thinking my hometown is pretty typical of a school in Iowa and not the exception.

I pity the students in your hometown if the teachers are that ill informed.

 

[joelbc1]

I pity the students in your hometown if the teachers are that ill informed.

Sometimes Peter doesn’t read and/or interpret very well. Try again, Peter!

 

[gamedayron01]

How do people still believe this bullshit? Teacher unions have near zero power in this state.

This. They cannot strike in Iowa.

 

[Huey Grey]

It’s at the national level they control elections and have influence on politicians and policy.

Unions can't even go on strike in Iowa. How do they affect policy when they have no teeth?

 

[Joes Place]

The entire voucher mess is predicated on right-wing propaganda.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

View embedded media

The entire voucher mess is predicated on right-wing propaganda.

No it isn't. The concerns are real. Like I've said before, the inability of public school leaders to control select teachers and themselves is the real issue here. They've done this to themselves.

 

[Joes Place]

No it isn't. The concerns are real.

No; they simply are not.

Parents with kids say differently.
Step back from the Fox News propaganda machine for a few weeks. Give your brain a rest.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

No; they simply are not.

Parents with kids say differently.
Step back from the Fox News propaganda machine for a few weeks. Give your brain a rest.

Documented accounts prove otherwise. They've been posted all over this board, including video and audio evidence. Yet here you are being lazy... invoking Fox in your feeble attempt to ignore the facts. It's tantamount to a kid throwing a temper tantrum with hands covering the ears.

 

[Chishawk1425]

Documented accounts prove otherwise. They've been posted all over this board, including video and audio evidence. Yet here you are being lazy... invoking Fox in your feeble attempt to ignore the facts. It's tantamount to a kid throwing a temper tantrum with hands covering the ears.

This legislation wasn't needed and is a detriment to our once great public education system. Period

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

No it isn't. The concerns are real. Like I've said before, the inability of public school leaders to control select teachers and themselves is the real issue here. They done this to themselves.

You are such a simpleton. Teachers “indoctrinating” students with LGBTQ propaganda and whatever other dimwitted nonsense your feeble brain has concluded as “fact” are about as common as youth pastors sleeping with teenagers.

Just shut your pie hole. As usual, you have no clue what you’re talking about. None.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

This legislation wasn't needed and is a detriment to our once great public education system. Period

The public education system is partially responsible for their own fall. Much like the horrible children that horrible parents have raised, the public education system likes to point fingers at other instead of taking accountability for their own actions.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

This legislation wasn't needed and is a detriment to our once great public education system. Period

I would love to see NorthernHawkeye’s responses to videos of police shooting unarmed people. I’m sure his line of logic is consistent, he equating anecdotal evidence as factual in all.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

The public education system is partially responsible for their own fall. Much like the horrible children that horrible parents have raised, the public equation system likes to point fingers at other instead of taking accountability for their own actions.

Another swing and a miss.

Any other topics you have no clue about that you’d like to sound off about?

I’m trying to think of the last time I thought you posted something logical and worthwhile. Maybe never. Maybe it’s time for me to experiment with the ignore function. I deal with enough proud-to-be willfully ignorant people as it is. You’re a waste of time. Good bye.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Documented accounts prove otherwise. They've been posted all over this board, including video and audio evidence. Yet here you are being lazy... invoking Fox in your feeble attempt to ignore the facts. It's tantamount to a kid throwing a temper tantrum with hands covering the ears.

It's good of you to admit your opinion on education is based on anecdotal evidence.