When the Iowa Legislature passed a bill that prevented schools from requiring masks, other measures were included. State Senator Amy Sinclair, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, says that changes were made to tax credits that will benefit families.
“It included some tax credits for teachers and families. There’s already a deduction for teachers who are buying classroom supplies at the state level. That deduction has been doubled from $250 to $500. There was an existing tuition and textbook tax credit that parents could access if they were paying book fees at a public school or paying for tuition at a non-public school. That credit has also been doubled from 25 percent of $1,000 in expenses to 25 percent of $2,000. So instead of being able to get a $250 credit, families will be able to get a $500 credit. Homeschooling families have been added into that, so their curriculum expenses can also come back to them in the form of a credit.”
A bill recently passed by the Iowa Legislature prohibits schools from requiring mask usage. State Senator Amy Sinclair, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, says that this decision was made based on guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health.
“When the Iowa Department of Public Health came out and said that COVID should be treated as any other childhood illness, it seemed illogical that we still had some of our largest districts requiring students to wear masks, even in the face of the scientific evidence; and the fact that the vaccines are working, and any adult that wishes to be vaccinated here in Iowa can be at this point. To force them to wear masks just seemed illogical, and frankly, to some degree, cruel, particularly for small children who are learning to read, who are doing those social interactions that small kids do.”
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Democrat wishes GOP luck in ending ‘family feud’ over tax policy
Republicans on two Senate committees have approved what’s described as a “proposed compromise” on tax policy, but Republicans in the Iowa House have their own alternative. Senator Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs who is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, spoke before the panel voted on the Senate GOP’s bill.
“I have higher hopes for more tax policy reforms next year, but I can certainly say this today…if this was the only piece of policy that we did in the entire two years here in this chamber, it would be a hell of a bill,” Dawson said. “It’s something we can take back to all of our constituents and say: ‘We did a damned good thing. ”
By Chris Turner
Apr 29, 2021
The Iowa Senate is sending a bill to the desk of Governor Kim Reynolds that would make it easier to start up charter schools within the public school system. House File 813 gives local public school boards a chance to be innovative in instructional delivery, said Senator Amy Sinclair (R-Wayne). House File 813 also creates a path for parents to have a hand in defining and creating the optimal public school learning environment for their child.
The bill allow groups to apply directly to the state Department of Education to form a charter, rather than going through a local school board. Democrats argue that the state should be supporting the already existing public schools instead.