Gov. Reynolds signs Iowa school choice bill

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Any Iowa student who wants to attend a private school could use public money to pay for tuition or other expenses under a bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Tuesday morning.

It makes Iowa the third state to pass a measure that allows such spending with few restrictions. The plan gives any Iowa student, regardless of income, $7,598 a year in an Education Savings Account if they switch from public to private school. Some income restrictions apply for students already attending private school, but the limits would expire two years after the plan is passed.

Republicans approved the bill early Tuesday despite objections from Democrats and others who argued the new education savings accounts would lead to reduced funding for public schools. State Auditor Rob Sand also voiced his opposition to a school funding bill that would create tax-payer-funded education savings accounts for each student to pay for tuition, tutoring, and other costs of attending a private school.

Reynolds, a Republican, has made the private school funding measure one of her top priorities after failing to pass similar but less expansive proposals twice before.