Posted by Carol Burris.

During School Choice Week it is important to note that most of the attempts to steer public dollars to private schools and homeschoolers happen not at the federal level, but at the state level. Across the nation, bills are being introduced that are all very similar.

One of those bills was recently introduced in Iowa by Senator Chelgren who claimed he had a business degree from Forbco Management school which the press dubbed “Sizzler University.”

Senator Chelgren had a certificate from a course he took when he worked for the Sizzler Steakhouse when he was a teenager. Forbco Management trains Sizzler employees.

Chelgren’s bill would give public money to parents to use at their discretion for “competent private instruction.” Perhaps he wants other Iowans to take courses at the Sizzler Steakhouse, paid for by taxpayers.  Perhaps other youngsters could attend Hamburger University at McDonalds on the taxpayer dime.

But it is no laughing matter. It is serious business.

Here is what our friends from Iowans for Public Education had to say:

“Senate File 2091 was introduced by Senator Mark Chelgren (R-Ottumwa) on January 23 and assigned to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill is a wide-ranging assault on the foundation of public education in the state of Iowa. If made law, it would divert hundreds of millions of dollars out of public coffers and give it to the parents of private school and homeschool students for them to use at their discretion for “competent private instruction,” according to the wording of the bill.

“This bill would directly divert taxpayer dollars dedicated to public education funding and basically hand it to private religious schools and completely unregulated homeschools,” said Claire Celsi, the Central Iowa organizer for the grassroots group that stands up against efforts to erode public education in Iowa.

Iowa is in the midst of a fiscal crisis because of sagging revenues. Corporate tax cuts over the past ten years have severely restricted the amount of revenue flowing into state coffers. This misguided voucher plan will make things even worse. The legislature is currently mulling how to plug another funding gap caused by Governor Kim Reynolds’ reckless budgeting practices.

“We are waiting for a fiscal note to be prepared to accompany the bill. There will definitely be a huge cost to the taxpayer on legislation like this,” said Randy Richardson, the group’s volunteer legislative monitor.

Karen Nichols, the founder of Iowans for Public Education said, “Our group is comprised of thousands of Iowa parents, students, administrators and average everyday Iowans who are fighting to hang on to our most prized institution – public education.”

“Every other policy or plan that we have as a state, including economic development, workforce development and public health – depends on having an educated and engaged population. Iowa’s public education system has been underfunded for eight years and we cannot afford to fund two parallel systems. The Legislature should fully fund our excellent public schools. Taxpayer money is for public schools. We are completely against this voucher plan,” said Nichols.