One Iowa lawmaker says there are several policy issues that are holding up them finalizing the state’s budget for next fiscal year.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green says among those policy issues is school vouchers. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio the Senate sent the governor’s version of the bill to the House weeks ago, and the House has yet to take it up. The proposal is allowing 10,000 students, either low to moderate income or those with Individualized Education Plan (IEPs) to use 70-percent of the state’s per pupil funding to be used in a private school, while the remaining 30-percent would go to small and rural school districts. 

Green uses the example of the Paton-Churdan School District as being one of those smaller schools that would qualify to receive that 30-percent, under the governor’s plan.

“For every scholarship that will be used there is about $2,200 left out there that is unspent. She’s (the governor) is going to take that money and allow a school like Paton-Churdan to apply for those dollars to help with their operational sharing costs. It’s my job as a legislator to go out and to ease those feelings and fears on those small, rural school districts.”  

Green says there are different factions of legislators that are wanting changes made, such as the number of students in a school district that would qualify for a voucher to lower the federal poverty level. Governor Kim Reynolds was in Jefferson on Friday and she doesn’t know why the House hasn’t moved on the bill but she assures that her plan isn’t to hurt the public school system.

“We’ve looked at other states, the usage has been anywhere from about 2-4-percent, so it’s not impacting public schools. It is critical that we have a strong public school system, it is the foundation of this state. I wouldn’t do anything that would impact our public school system. It’s not a zero sum game. I believe it will lift all of education. It’s a narrow project, so let’s get the data, and then we can look at it again in three years, and just really analyze it, if it’s made an impact or if it’s had some unintended consequences.”    

The other arguments that have been made on this topic concerns taking public funds and using it in private schools.