The 2025 legislative session began with all the normal pomp and circumstance. New legislators were sworn in. Lobbyists and the press have returned to the state capitol. The governor gave her State of the State address with expression of top priorities. Party caucuses and legislative committees have begun to meet. The appropriate legislative leaders gave addresses. Legislators from both side of the aisle are determining their influence in changing dynamics of the political landscape. The majority party asserted a “mandate” and concern of over-reach was expressed from the minority party.
The 2025 segislative session has begun and away we go. It’s time to pay attention because what happens under the golden dome in Des Moines does matter to you.
I value the legislative process and bipartisanship prevalent in Iowa not so long ago. Disagreements between the two political parties isn’t new, but not like today. Does today’s legislative process making Iowa a better place to live by helping all Iowans? Does it encourage Iowans to stay here? Will we become a place where people used to live rather than want to live?
The governor and elected officials’ proposals for the upcoming session focused on familiar themes: tax cuts, low education funding, full implementation of private school vouchers, government efficiency, cell phone bans in schools and buying the bottom tiers of counties in Minnesota. Really? I didn’t know Minnesota was for sale.
Tax cuts have become the economic development plan for Iowa according to our local state legislators. The governor already pushed a 2025 flat tax of 3.8% resulting in largest tax savings for higher income levels and a goal is no Iowa income tax. Does it really help the middle-class Iowan or the wealthy? Will that really help Iowa be a better state? If there is a continuation diminishing revenue in Iowa, services will be cut as the state’s coffers run dry. Who determines the cutting of services?
Services can’t be maintained with diminishing revenue. Cities, counties and municipalities understand it and have been struggling for years as cuts and limited levy ability have been implemented. Bridges, roads and infrastructures in rural Iowa have suffered along with rural life in general.
Let’s focus on public education. Governor Reynolds has consistently proposed low increases in supplemental state aid for public schools. Schools only get an increase in state aid if their enrollment is equal to the previous year. Added student enrollment results in more money than proposed and student decreases result in less money than proposed. A few less students can be disastrous. The governor is again proposing a 2% increase that will not allow for public schools, particularly rural schools to meet student or staff needs, and is short of the 2.9% inflation rate.
The governor and legislature was willing to send Iowa’s public tax dollars to private schools and the cost will dramatically increase in 2025-26. In 2023-24 Iowa passed a voucher bill not supported by Iowans and sent $128 million to private school students. This year, family income eligibility changed and 27,899 students were eligible for vouchers, $218 million of public tax money was sent to private schools.
Next year, all certified private school students will be eligible for vouchers due to elimination of the family income restrictions. An estimated $315 million in public tax dollars will be diverted to private schools. In three short years, an estimated total of $661 million public tax dollars that could have been used for public schools will go to private schools.
Current Iowa public school enrollment is 480,665 compared to a 39,356 private school enrollment or about 8% of the number enrolled in public schools. The sstate of Iowa requires little oversight for the immense financial gift given to private schools. How does the legislature’s choice make any sense? Sixty percent of Iowans didn’t want public tax money to go to private schools. The legislature and governor chose not to listen to the majority of their constituents.
Supplemental state aid proposals by Gov. Reynolds are inadequate to the educate over 90% of Iowa’s students who attend public schools. Rural students have limited options to attend private schools. Private schools do not have to accept every student. It’s time to pay attention to what happens under the golden dome. Now is not the time to check out, but to check in and keep asking questions. They’re spending your tax dollars and aren’t listening.