Iowa Senate File 159 has moved over to the House and if passed, would create a Student First Scholarship, essentially a state’s program for public education.

Panorama Schools Superintendent Shawn Holloway says the district’s stance is that public tax dollars should stay in schools that meet state requirements.

“Our stance really is that public dollars should go for public purposes. I don’t think that public dollars should go to a private school that doesn’t have to follow the same guidelines, the same reporting, the same attendance practices that public schools have to play by. A private school can choose or not choose to take a student. They don’t have to take all students. They don’t have to report out testing results, all of the things that we have to report out to the state.”

Holloway added that the issue concerning school choice is already solved in Iowa through open enrollment and following the proper channels. You can hear more from Holloway in part two of today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program.