There are two Iowa Senate bills sitting in the House relating to a priority from the governor.

Governor Kim Reynolds outlined in her State of the State Address this past January about school vouchers. Her plan would allow 70-percent of the public per pupil funds to be utilized in private schools and the remaining 30-percent would go to rural and small school districts. District 47 Representative Phil Thompson says the original bill from the Senate concerning vouchers failed to survive the first funnel week, however, House Speaker Pat Grassley moved the legislation to the appropriations committee. 

Thompson points out the bill has been modified to be a “pilot program” where urban school districts with 5,000 or more students could use the vouchers. 

“The version that the Senate sent over, I find it very hard to find 51 votes in our side of the Capitol for that. I’m fairly open to the idea of a ‘pilot program’ focused on more of our urban schools that are failing students and empirical data proves that. But we’re a long ways from 51 (votes) on any kind of big scholarship.”   

Thompson says the other larger Senate education bill was also passed to the House, which not only includes vouchers but also parental transparency when it comes to appropriate materials in schools.