Kim Reynolds on Education

Education Savings Accounts are now universally available

Education Savings Accounts have brought genuine freedom

A rising tide of competition and choice lifts all boats

Put Iowa in top-five states for starting pay for teachers

Create education savings accounts for private schooling

Parents have a right to know what kids are being taught

They have a right to know, and to have a say in, what their kids are being taught.

Give families funds for education system of their choice

I'll be introducing legislation that allows middle- and low-income families and students with an individualized educational plan to receive a portion of the `per pupil' funds allocated annually by the state to move their child to the education system of their choice. About 70% (over $5,300) of those funds will go directly into an account for families to customize their child's education. The remaining 30% will be distributed by the state to smaller school districts.

Launch the first teacher registered apprenticeship program

$28 million for public-private partnerships for child care

Make open enrollment available in all school districts

We need 100% of schools to teach computer science

Additional $93M to invest in our students

Major cuts to college funding to address budget shortfall

Hubbell: Yes. "We've just been cutting, cutting, cutting." Proposes tuition payback for students at Iowa colleges who commit to 5 years working in rural Iowa.

Reynolds: No. Supported major cuts to address budget shortfall.

School choice offers families option to teach their values

We have also maintained our commitment to school choice, which offers families the option to teach their values, beliefs, and viewpoints to their children. That's why my tax reform plan will expand 529 plans to include K-12 education.

$40M more for schools; $150M more for teachers

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds added, "By setting funding levels early in the session, we are able to provide predictability and stability that administrators, school boards and teachers need. I want to thank the legislature for moving quickly on this important issue. This is a difficult budget, but this $40 million increase for K-12 education is on top of the $150 million provided through the Teacher Leadership System that rewards our great teachers. Teachers are the key to giving students a globally competitive education and helping us close the skills gap in Iowa."

The bill passed the Iowa House 55-40 on Feb. 6, 2017 and the Iowa Senate on Feb. 2, 2017, 28-21.

Score every Iowa high school for Post-Secondary Readiness

Reynolds, co-chair of the Future Ready Iowa Alliance added, "Iowa needs all of today's high school graduates to be genuinely ready for college or career training so they can succeed in a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy. That will open up great opportunities in their personal and professional lives, and will help close the skills gap that employers tell us about when we travel the state."

Future Ready Iowa: 70% of Iowans beyond high school

Accomplishing this ambitious goal will create unprecedented opportunities for Iowans and better position our state to compete in an increasingly knowledge-based, digital economy. That is why we established the Future Ready Iowa Alliance, co-chaired by Lt. Governor Reynolds, which will make recommendations by Oct. 31, 2017, to assure more Iowans have the careers they deserve and employers can hire the skilled workers they need to grow and innovate.