State Senator Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) filed a bill last night in the Iowa Senate (Senate File 336) that calls for the repeal of the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa State Board of Education. If you want to see more local control in education this would certainly be a way to do it.
The primary gist of the bill as you read through it is to assign different functions and duties carried out by the Department and the State Board to existing departments. Zaun said that he mainly had to write the bill this way in order for the state to keep the federal education monies it does receive. Zaun said he mainly tried to keep those duties assigned to AEAs and community colleges when appropriate. The bill also, in effect, would also render the Iowa Core obsolete.
Zaun’s bill also would create an education savings grant program that could be used for competent non-public instruction whether that is a private school, homeschooling or online education. “This bill will increase student performance and give parents 100% choice,” Zaun said. “My bill represents real education change.”
State Senators Ken Roozeboom (R-Oskaloosa) and Jake Chapman (R-Adel) have co-sponsored the bill.
This bill has been referred to the Senate Education committee.
Photo Credit: Iowa Department of Education via Flickr (PD-US)
