Thread by @TannerKrause

An economic look at Iowa’s School Vouchers Program:

Looks BAD for public schools. Here’s why:

Let’s say 2 kids in a classroom of 30 take vouchers and leave public for private school.

That class/school just lost ~$15,000 in revenue.

A thread 1/8

Majority of expenses of running a school are fixed: admin costs, utilities, R&M, programs, salaries, etc.

You don’t pay the teachers 7% less because you lost 7% of the students.

So the class lost $15,000 in revenue.

It’s expenses: hardly budged.

Result: program cuts, hiring freezes, layoffs, etc.

The student experience will deteriorate. This will cause the next 2 students’ parents to decide to jump ship too.

Our class of 26 now has lost $30k in revenue.

This downward spiral of the quality of public school education will continue. Those who can, or are on the fence, will leave.

But not every family can (or desires) to leave their school.

Vouchers will hit these kids the hardest.

Iowa’s journey from being a national leader in public education to a spiraling shell of underfunded and closed schools is taking place in one generation.

This is NOT “Future Ready Iowa”

Some students will take these vouchers and switch to private school.

But the 33,000 students already in private school are about to get a huge government handout.

These families skew higher-income.

Anyone hearing cries of “socialism” for this subsidy??

Iowa’s School Voucher Program will result in lower quality public education & a government handout to predominately rich families
(Plus more/other concerns)

There are reasons this failed in a friendly Congress before.

Please do what you can to protect public education and stop another government program that benefits rich families.