As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, many of us will gather with family and friends, watch fireworks, attend parades, and reflect on the ideals that gave birth to our nation 250 years ago. Among those ideals is a simple but profound truth: people are best governed when they are free to make decisions for […]

State Auditor Rob Sand’s office sent out a press release highlighting a report critical of Iowa’s Students First Education Savings Account program. One claim from the release has already drawn attention: Sand says the ESA program cost $37,294 “per new student.” That number is not the cost of an ESA. It is political math. The […]

Iowa’s Students First ESA is not a voucher. The distinction isn’t semantic — it reflects how the program actually works and what families can actually do with it. Mislabeling it misleads policymakers and parents alike about the program’s structure and purpose. A traditional voucher is a tuition-focused scholarship that helps a student attend a private […]

A new refrain has emerged among school choice opponents in Iowa: education savings accounts are welfare. It is a revealing argument because it says more about how opponents view parents than it does about how Iowa’s ESA program actually works. Education savings accounts are not cash payments to parents. They are restricted-use accounts that allow […]

The Public School Strong resolution being promoted by Iowa CCI presents itself as a defense of public education, but its actual target is Iowa families who choose something different. It asks school boards to urge the Governor and Legislature to “fully fund” public schools while also keeping income caps on Education Savings Accounts, phasing the […]