Looks like Iowa is proving a bellwether among states with shifts in party control and how that may impact state-funded preschool.
According to the Des Moines Register, the Republican-controlled House has voted not to fund the state’s highly regarded, voluntary pre-K program. Senate Democrats wanted to maintain the program at a cost of $70 million.
Earlier this week, Gov. Terry Branstad proposed a $43 million voucher plan that would set aside up to $3,000 per student in state money for vouchers that would follow 4-year-old children to the public or private preschools of their families’ choice. The money would pay for up to 10 hours of classes per week.
Families would pay fees on a sliding scale based on federal poverty guidelines up to 300 percent. All families would pay something, but fees would range from $3 a month for the neediest families to $133 a month for a family of four that earns $67,000 a year.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen acknowledged the governor’s plan could be considered a compromise, but he did not immediately endorse it.