We don’t ask you to weigh in at the Federal level very often as the policy issues in Iowa keep us very busy and we generally only weigh in on well-established Title Funding programs from D.C. for those schools who choose to participate. With COVID-related funding this year, it’s a unique time and the CARES Act was a unique piece of legislation. As Congress evaluates a possible Phase IV COVID Bill, we are asking they do better for private school students moving forward.
As a result of the COVID global pandemic, millions of children have been forced out of their schools across the nation as public schools are unable to provide in-person education or as many private school families now lack the resources needed to make sure their children can continue learning in private schools this Fall.
Hundreds of thousands of kids could be absorbed back into public schools if their private schools permanently close, leaving taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars in new K-12 spending.
The average public school student receives more than $15,000 per year. In Iowa, that number is a little over $12,000 in state and local tax revenue. Lower and middle income families with kids in private schools deserve a portion of the funds allocated to their child’s K-12 education for immediate tuition relief for the benefit of students and the state budget.
Across our country, supporters of educational choice are joining together to stand up for families. Please help by asking your U.S Representative and Senators to support allotting 10 percent of any new COVID-19 education funding for emergency grants to low- and middle-income private school families, and to provide continued stability for families through a comprehensive federal tax credit program that would provide long-term funding and consistency for students.
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Click here to take action – Support All Schools and Students Equitably!
