The Republican controlled Iowa Legislature has passed a 1.1% increase in school funding for the upcoming year.

That is not, however, the only legislation that could impact public school budgets. State Senator Amy Sinclair spoke with KNIA/KRLS News Monday about a proposed plan that would create what is being called an Education Savings Account. In other states these are often called vouchers. The account would allow funding that currently goes to the public schools for each student to be used for private school tuition or pay for home school curriculum according to the parent’s wishes. According to Sinclair, the only areas she sees being impacted by the savings accounts would be urban areas because rural areas do not have the same availability of private schools as urban areas do. Sinclair also says public schools would only be affected if parents chose to take their children from a public school and enroll them in a private or homeschool. Currently public schools receive approximately $6,500 per student annually that could be diverted.