March 29, 2024

Vouchers do not belong in Iowa

I attended a Catholic school through 8th grade, yet my parents were still paying taxes to support public schools.

I no longer have any school-age children, yet I am still paying taxes to support public schools. That is how it should be and how it should remain. It wouldn’t make sense in our society for us to decide that using tax dollars to support police and fire protection is optional. Having reliable police and fire protection is for the public good. Public education is also for the public good. We all pay for it because it is in our best interests that we have an educated society.

Economics teaches us that education leads to prosperity. Those who choose a private education or home schooling also benefit from having a good public school system. An educated population is more productive and employable, leading to a better economy for all and reducing the number of people needing public assistance during a good economy.

A bill to support vouchers in Iowa is working its way through the state legislature. If a family chooses private school for their children, I fully support their choice. But it is not to be paid for with tax money. Vouchers take money out of our already education-on-a-shoestring public system which has been doing the best it can with fewer resources for that last several years.

Our public education system needs more money to purchase current textbooks and hire quality teachers. If people truly care about a prosperous state, then the focus needs to be on strengthening our public education system, not weakening it through a voucher system.

Please speak up and ask your legislators to vote NO on vouchers and YES on support for public schools. Iowa’s prosperity depends on it.