Vote Against School Privatization Initiatives in Iowa

Iowa Legislators

As the Iowa legislature explores diverting more tax dollars away from public schools toward private education, your voice is needed now, more than ever.

Why are school privatization schemes (such as school vouchers, a.k.a., Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs), bad for Iowa? Because they —

• Divert taxpayer funds away from public education, weakening public schools.
• Use public dollars to subsidize private, religious, or home schools and for-profit online “schools.”
• Don’t guarantee access to a private education.
• Don’t necessarily cover the full cost of attending a private school.
• Aren’t audited and carry no safeguards against fraud.
• Put Iowa families at risk of harm from for-profit education scams.
• Hurt rural communities that depend on strong local schools to remain vibrant.
• Increase segregation in urban areas.

ESAs subsidize schools that—
• Are exempt from oversight.
• Are not required to meet the same standards as public schools.
• Don’t have to accept all students—they can discriminate for any reason.

Did you know? Iowa already diverts more than $50 million in taxpayer dollars each year to private and home schooling.

To learn more, click here for an explainer created by our friends at Parents for Great Iowa Schools.

Please state your opposition to school privatization initiatives by adding your name to the following petition.

To: Iowa Legislators
From: [Your Name]

I oppose any increase in the diversion of public funds to nonpublic education, such as private, religious/parochial, or home schools; for-profit online schools; or privately managed charter schools. School privatization initiatives such as vouchers (a.k.a. Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs) and School Tuition Organizations (STOs) take taxpayer dollars away from the 92% of Iowa students who attend public schools, leading to program cuts, increased class sizes, and even school closures. I ask that you vote against such measures.

Strong public schools are the heart of strong Iowa communities. Public money is for public schools!