Governor Kim Reynolds is defending her bill in the Iowa Statehouse that would redirect public funding into scholarships for students to attend private or charter schools in “struggling” school districts.

The Iowa Senate passed Senate File 159 shortly after it was submitted by Reynolds, and the bill will be broken down into various components by the House, according to Education Committee Chair and District 79 Representative Dustin Hite.

Reynolds has argued that the bill won’t impact public schools negatively, and instead offers additional options for families after she believes the COVID-19 pandemic showed choices were limited for families, especially in districts that did not return to in-person class this fall and winter.

Critics from the public school systems, Democrats, and some Republicans disagree, believing the bill opens the door to more state funding of private schools, who could have lower accountability standards than public districts, and concerns families using taxpayer money as a scholarship could be rejected from a private option based on religious belief, sexual orientation, or other reasons.

Reynolds says the bill is narrowly targeted at schools deemed as struggling, which would apply currently at 32 school districts, and has rejected arguments that this could be broadened to impact schools beyond the federal standards set for learning.

Hear more about the bill on today’s In-Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.