Iowa Association of Christian Schools

The Public Policy Voice of Iowa's Protestant, Christ-Centered Schools.

We are the public policy voice of
Iowa's Protestant, Christ-centered schools.

ESA Legislation Introduced In The Senate!

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We are very excited to see ESA legislation introduced in the Senate!  Senator Jerry Behn (R-Boone) introduced a similar bill last year.  The bill was voted on as an amendment near the end of last year’s session and failed on a bi-partisan tie vote.  This year, Senator Behn has a new bill and 24 co-sponsors!  Thank you to each and every one of them for their willingness to support school choice for Iowa’s parents and students!

You can see the bill on the legislative website.  We will continue to work with our school choice coalition partners to build momentum for ESAs and other school choice legislation.

ESA Action Alert! Huge Response So Far!

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Our Action Alert on the House Education Savings Accounts (ESA) bill has received a huge response!  Between IACS and our school choice coalition partners in Iowa, we are becoming convinced a record number of emails have been received by Representatives in the Iowa House.

HF 2090 is out of subcommittee and will now be considered by the full House Education Committee.  Its future this year isn’t certain.  Between a supposedly shorter session this year and the nature of passing a new idea that is opposed by the champions of the status quo, we have our work cut out for us.

We are, however, extremely encouraged by the grassroots support for ESAs across the State.  If you have not emailed your Representative yet and asked him/her to support HF 2090, please do so by clicking here right now!  We need all hands on deck to let the legislature know that Iowans are serious about not only starting this discussion, but taking action as soon as possible!

Some of the reaction online so far:
Education Savings Account Bill Introduced in Iowa House
Why Iowa Should Pass Education Savings Accounts
Iowa Bill Would Boost State Support Of Students Not In Public Schools
Everyone Wants School Choice!

Thank you!

IACS Supported Bills Advance

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Today in the Iowa House, a number of bills supported by IACS cleared hurdles and advanced to the next stage of the legislative process.

House File 2090 (Education Savings Accounts) passed out of subcommittee today and will move to the full Education Committee in the House.  This bill has significant opposition from public school groups and we urge you to keep an eye open for a call-to-action very soon.  Be sure to sign up for our email list to ensure you get the action alert as soon as it comes out.

Today in the Education Committee, the following IACS-supported bills passed out of Committee and will now be eligible for debate on the floor of the House:
HF 559 (This bill corrects the nonpublic start date waiver issue created in last year’s ed reform bill and addresses the counting of days in the case of early outs or late starts for emergencies or inclement weather)
HSB 562 (Transitional Coaching Authorization – makes it easier to hire coaches)

We’ll do our best to keep you in the loop on bills that impact your school.  Please feel free to peruse the list of bills on the DE website and let us know if you have questions or concerns about any  listed.

Education Savings Account Legislation Introduced!

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For the first time in the Iowa House, Education Savings Account (ESA) legislation has been introduced!

House File 2090 would authorize the state to fund Education Savings Accounts for each student outside of the public school system. The amount would be the average basic state aid for public school students, this year about $5,580.  Those funds can cover private school tuition and fees, and/or some private instruction, tutoring, and educational therapies. We believe this proposal offers true freedom of choice in education to all families.

You can learn more about this unique school choice concept and how it would work by watching Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education’s (Iowa ACE) YouTube video on ESAs.  Iowa ACE will be leading the charge on this legislation and we’ll be with them every step of the way.

Rep. Chris Hagenow (R-Windsor Heights), Rep. Jake Highfill (R-Johnston) and Rep. Peter Cownie (R-West Des Moines) have sponsored the bill.  Please be sure to sign up for our email list and we’ll keep you in the loop on the latest news and calls-to-action.

Governor Branstad Signs School Choice Week Proclamation

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The Iowa Association of Christian Schools was proud to have representation at the this year’s signing of the School Choice Week Proclamation.  Proclamations are a way for Governors to honor and/or celebrate issues or events and distribute important information and concepts to Iowans.

School Choice Week Proclamation

Governor Terry Branstad signs this year’s School Choice Week Proclamation

The last couple of years have seen School Choice Week and Catholic Schools Week fall on the same week.  This signing ceremony saw the signing of both proclamations.  We had students and staff from Des Moines Christian School and Iowa Christian Academy as well as representation from the Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education and its sister organization, Iowa Advocates for Choice in Education.

Thank you, Governor Branstad, for recognizing the importance of school choice in Iowa and helping us celebrate the accomplishments to this point in giving parents and students more options in education.  We firmly believe that a child’s education should never be limited by their income or zip code of residence.  We are looking forward to working with Governor Branstad and leaders from both parties on advancing school choice in Iowa.

You can read Iowa School Choice Week ’14.