Despite a setback in the Iowa state House earlier this session, a proposal to create education savings accounts worth $5,000 for students entering kindergarten and those wishing to switch from their government-run school has been re-introduced in the state Senate.

Senate Study Bill 3206 is sponsored by Sen. Mark Chelgren. He explained the bill to the Des Moines Register saying, “The idea is to give options and choices to parents and guardians. I trust them to make the best decisions for education. Having parents with buy-in is the goal.”

Sen. Chelgren’s inspiration reflects the teaching of the Catholic Church, as put forth at the Second Vatican Council, which compels governments to ensure that, “public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children.”

ESAs empower parents to tailor an education plan for their child – be that at home, in a school, with a tutor, or a combination of all three. ESAs bring governments closer to truly serving the common good by placing the parent first in education.CEP will be closely monitoring the progress of SSB 3206. If you live in Iowa and would like to show your support for ESAs, contact the Iowa Catholic Conference for how to do so.