Gov. Kim Reynolds was ecstatic Tuesday as she signed into law a seismic education plan three years in the making.
“What an amazing day for our children!” she exclaimed to a crowd of children, parents, lawmakers and other supporters gathered in the Iowa Capitol rotunda.
Surrounded by private school students, Reynolds, a Republican, inked her signature on a law that will allow any Iowa family to use taxpayer funds to pay for private school tuition — at a cost of $345 million annually to the state once fully phased in.
The sweeping legislation represents Reynolds’ third — and most ambitious — attempt to pass some form of “school choice” legislation, a push that has been mirrored in other Republican-led states. In years past, disagreement over her previous proposals dragged on for months before ultimately ending in failure.
