(Radio Iowa) - Iowa's public K-through-12 schools will get a two percent increase in general state support -- so that total state spending on each student will be over 81-hundred dollars next year.
Republicans in the Iowa House approved the plan late last week and on Monday Senate Republicans voted to send it to the governor. The decision also means every state-funded Education Savings Account for a private school student will get over 81-hundred dollars for the next school year.
Democrats like Senator Molly Donahue of Cedar Rapids say Republicans are opening the state's checkbook for private schools while telling Iowa's public schools to cut staff and consider consolidations.