Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver Iowa’s annual “Condition of the State” address to the legislature Tuesday evening. During comments at a Monday morning GOP fundraiser, Reynolds told Republican lawmakers she intends to outline “big ideas” Tuesday night.
It is expected that Reynolds will unveil a new, more expansive plan to give parents state money to cover private school expenses. Reynolds is featured touting “school choice” in a new TV ad financed by a conservative political action committee. Senate GOP Leader Jack Whitver has made clear Republicans in the Senate will support “school choice” in 2023.
Democrats have opposed the governor’s private school plans in each of the past two years and Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls said they will again in 2023. Wahls states that it will magnify inequality and will hit rural communities the hardest.
House Speaker Pat Grassley has said he’s “optimistic” House Republicans will approve an education reform package that incudes state funds for parents who enroll their kids in a private school.