State House District 84 Representative Joe Mitchell (R) of Wayland is upholding his stance against the school voucher system proposed for students in underperforming public schools that has passed the Senate and now sits in the House Education Committee.
Senate File 159 follows what Governor Kim Reynolds set out in her condition of the state address to establish a “student first scholarship program” for those attending schools rated as needing comprehensive support under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, and creates a charter school system for groups to apply to form their own schools that would receive state per-pupil funding. Rep. Mitchell says no school superintendents in his district have voiced support for the bill. Mitchell comments as to whether he will vote for the bill as it currently stands, “If that specific piece of policy including the ESA (Education Savings Account) or the vouchers as people are saying. If that was in the bill I would not support that, no.�
Week 2 Update
Hello Friends,
The 2nd week of the session got off to a busy start. It is exciting to see the priorities laid out by myself and others become bills and start the legislative process. I will provide a quick overview of the capitol this week but please use my contact information at the bottom of this email if you have any questions.
1. Preschool
I am the proud sponsor of HF 14 which expands the ages of students who can enroll in preschool in the State of Iowa. Under this bill a child who turns five-years old prior to September 15th but after March 1st will be newly eligible to enroll in preschool with the same level of state support 4-year olds receive.