Senate Study Bill 3011: Bill to Reduce Funding for ‘Home School Assistance Programs’

Sponsor:
Iowa Department of Education

Summary:
A Home School Assistance Program (HSAP) is a public school program in which the children learn primarily at home, but the public school operating the program uses taxpayer money to finance the education. And the public school has the power to control the education. The cost of educating a child at home is far less than educating one at a brick and mortar school. Under current law, taxpayers pay way too much for every child in a HSAP—60% of the money they would pay for a child actually attending a public brick-and-mortar school. Public schools spend a fraction of that on the actual education of each HSAP student—and keep the rest for other purposes.

S.S.B. 3011 will save taxpayers millions of dollars by reducing the funding from the bloated 60% per pupil to a much more sensible 30% per pupil funding. A per pupil funding of 30% will still provide more than adequate funding for HSAPs, but will reduce the amount of taxpayer money available for public schools to divert to other purposes.

This bill will dramatically reduce the financial incentive for public schools to induce families to give up their right to control their children’s education. It will not affect families who educate their children independently.

Status:

1/15/2008

(Senate) Subcommittee: Wood, Quirmbach,Johnson.

This bill failed to pass out of committee, and is now dead.

HSLDA's Position:
Support.

Action Requested:
None at this time.

Other Resources

Bill Text