4 Days, 4 Ways GOP Gov Candidates Are Wrong for Iowa: Supporting Private School Vouchers

4 Days, 4 Ways GOP Gov Candidates Are Wrong for Iowa: Supporting Private School Vouchers

DES MOINES – In the final days leading up to Iowa’s June gubernatorial primary, the IDP is reminding Iowans all the ways that Randy Feenstra, Adam Steen, Zach Lahn, Brad Sherman, and Eddie Andrews are wrong for Iowa. Today, we’re looking at how the field supports Kim Reynolds’ unaccountable private school voucher scheme that rips tax dollars away from public schools, drives up costs, and strains the state budget to foot the bill for wealthy families.

According to the Des Moines Register, 99% of Iowa’s private schools are now funded by taxpayer dollars, with unaccountable vouchers projected to cost Iowa taxpayers $350 million in the next year alone.

The field supports Reynolds’ school vouchers and attacks on public education:

• Randy Feenstra voted to pass Reynolds’ unaccountable school voucher scheme in the state legislature and voted in Congress to further shift tens of billions of taxpayer dollars away from public schools to unaccountable private schools.

• Adam Steen wants to go even further in gutting funding for Iowa’s public schools — which are already chronically underfunded — by $520 million per year, effectively slashing over $1,000 per student.
  • Steen has praised Reynolds’ private school vouchers and opposes oversight for school vouchers, saying “we’ve got to protect that program … from administrative overreach.”

• Zach Lahn supports unaccountable school vouchers and claimed Iowa is “spending too much money on education,” leaving the door open to even deeper cuts and further attacks on Iowa’s already-underfunded public schools.

• Brad Sherman and Eddie Andrews both praised Reynolds’ vouchers that are undermining the future of public education in Iowa. 

From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez: 

“Randy Feenstra, Adam Steen, Zach Lahn, Brad Sherman, and Eddie Andrews aren’t just backing Kim Reynolds’ attacks on public education — they want to take her unaccountable private school voucher scheme even further. The future of our public schools is on the ballot in November, and no matter who makes it out of this messy and chaotic primary on Tuesday, Iowa parents and teachers know that none of the Republicans will put Iowa’s kids before their own extreme agenda.”

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