T-R PHOTO BY NICK BAUR St. Francis Catholic School in Marshalltown, where nearly 200 youth receive education in grades K-6.

The second week of the 2023 Iowa legislative session saw critical progress for Gov. Kim Reynolds’s landmark ‘school choice’ bill, the Students First Act. The Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Education Reform Committee each moved the proposal forward, clearing the way for a possible floor vote in the two chambers as soon as the coming week.

A long sought after milestone for Reynolds, the proposal aims to create ‘Educational Savings Accounts’ (ESAs), which use taxpayer funds, estimated at $7,598 per student, to supply private school scholarships to all eligible K-12 students in the state.

While the first two years of the program would restrict the availability according to economic status, by the third year, ESAs would become universally available to all students and families, regardless of income, at an estimated cost of $341 million.

With a sizable majority of Iowans and their families attending public schools, the proposal has become a flashpoint of controversy and hotly contested debate with proponents of public schooling and school choice advocates pitted against one another.

Yet, the leaders of private schools in the area say the possible legislation is less about funneling public money into private schools and more about providing for the needs of Iowa families and children.

“I believe it’s not about public versus private. It’s not about the organizations, about the people. It’s about families wanting what’s best for their kids,” said Terry Eisenbarth, St. Francis Catholic School Principal and Administrator.

A former public school teacher and administrator himself, Eisenbarth presides over the 185 children who are enrolled at St. Francis Catholic School in Marshalltown for K-6 education. Having seen both sides of the proverbial educational coin, he said, “There’s a lot of quality effective educators in both types of organizations” but “parents are their child’s first teacher, and parents do deserve the right to get to choose where their kids go [and] what they want for their children.”

Across town, the head of the Marshalltown Christian School, Bethany Wirin echoed these sentiments.

“I am amazed at some of the incomes I see here and how low they are. This is what they want for their children,” she said. “They make it work. But I know that more parents should have options and choices for their kids’ education.”

Because the Students First Act would possibly eliminate financial barriers to private education, Wirin communicated that prospective parents are enthused about the possible changes.

“The ones that I’ve spoken with are excited about it,” Wirin said. “Almost three quarters of our families tap into financial aid… I’m sure this would bring in people who right now do not believe they can make it work financially.”

At St. Francis, Eisenbarth also indicated that he would expect an uptick in enrollment should the legislation pass, particularly among families who were members of the St. Francis Assisi Parish, but he does not predict there will be a “mass exodus” from public schools as some have speculated.

“There’s more families out there in our parish that I think would value a Catholic private school education if they can afford it,” Eisenbarth said. “We’re a private faith-based school. I think that faith isn’t attractive to a faction, where some don’t want that as part of the educational process.”

As the vast majority of private schools teach a specific faith in addition to standard curriculum, Eisenbarth says that some — but not a significant amount — of families and students will migrate towards private schooling. But regardless of the politics, he says, it’s all about educating future Iowans effectively.

“As long as we’re all plugged in where we’re working toward quality of instruction and educating kids, so that we have that next generation of good quality productive people, I don’t care what the name of the school is,” Eisenbarth said.

On Friday, Reynolds reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to passing the legislation in an open letter released to the public.

“The Students First Act will not cut public school funding as opponents of this bill claim, and it won’t result in families fleeing public schools,” Reynolds wrote. “For most Iowa families, a public education will continue to be their first choice, but for families who otherwise can’t afford a private school that may be a better fit for their children, it makes new opportunities attainable.”

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Contact Nick Baur at 641-753-6611 or nbaur@timesrepublican.com