(Editor’s Note: State Auditor Rob Sand is doing the work to find bucks for Iowa taxpayers despite being collared by the Reynolds administration. The July 23 report to which State Senator Zach Wahls referred in his newsletter is important for the increased visibility Sand gave to excessive costs flying under the radar. Wahls explanation is excellent, and worth reading if you live in Iowa).

Accountability in Education Matters Now More Than Ever by State Senator Zach Wahls

Our state government belongs to the people. It should work for all Iowans, their families, and communities. This can’t happen without transparency from its legislators, especially when Iowa taxpayer dollars are on the line. You have a right to know how your tax dollars are being used – but when it comes to Iowa’s private-school voucher program, that’s not what’s happening.

This alarming lack of transparency and accountability was confirmed in a July 23 report from Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, which details the exorbitant amount of money Iowa taxpayers are shelling out to Odyssey, the private out-of-state corporation in charge of administering Republican lawmakers’ voucher scheme.

But let’s back up for a moment – how did we get here?

In 2023, Gov. Reynolds and Republican lawmakers rushed their voucher plan into law with little regard for public concern. In its first year, it cost Iowa taxpayers nearly $128 million to send a small percentage of the state’s students to private schools. Now in its second year, 30,000 Iowa students have been approved for vouchers for 2024 — that’s about 13,000 more than in 2023. If all 30,000 of those vouchers are used, the cost to Iowa taxpayers tops out at over $200 million for the coming school year alone.

In the 18 months since the law was passed, the Iowa Department of Education has released no meaningful data on private school acceptance rates or student turnover. Without this information, Iowans have no way of knowing whether this program actually provides new options for Iowa kids, or if it’s just a giveaway for families who have already chosen private education.

While this question remains unanswered, the cost to Iowa’s taxpayers will continue to balloon: In 2025, all Iowa families – regardless of how wealthy – will be eligible to receive vouchers to attend private schools that require no oversight, no transparency, and no obligation to admit students who wish to enroll.

In response to the voucher law, Iowa’s private schools saw an opportunity and raised tuition to amounts exceeding the $7,638 per pupil tuition voucher allotment. In doing so, private schools largely priced out new families: according to Princeton University researchers, two-thirds of Iowa students receiving vouchers in 2023 were already attending private school and could afford tuition prior to receiving a voucher.

This lack of accountability isn’t just shortchanging Iowa taxpayers – it’s affecting our kids, too.

In its first year, the voucher program effectively siphoned $54 million away from Iowa’s already-underfunded public education system. As income-eligibility limits for vouchers are lifted, this inequity will only continue to grow, resulting in deeper cuts to public programs Iowans and their families depend upon.

For far too long, our underfunded public school districts have grappled with difficult decisions to cut staff or programming. Now, some are trying to decide whether to close altogether. As voucher eligibility expands in coming years, more funding for public education will surely be cut to offset the cost of subsidizing tuition for our state’s wealthiest families.

The bottom line is this: Iowa taxpayers have the right to judge for themselves whether the voucher program is effectively serving the educational needs of our children. As recipients of taxpayer dollars, our public schools must adhere to strict transparency and accountability in their budgeting, policy decisions, and enrollment decisions. That’s impossible to do with private schools that accept vouchers, as there’s no legal requirement for them to disclose any of this information – despite being partially funded with taxpayer money.

It’s our job as policymakers to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse. Iowans deserve transparency and accountability from all elected officials – especially when tax dollars are at play. If we continue to collectively sound the alarm on questionable spending of public funds, together we can strengthen and protect our state’s educational system.

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