Sand, Stauch address what they would do on Iowa private school funding as Democratic governor

DES MOINES — The hypothetical future of Iowa’s taxpayer-funded private school tuition assistance program under a potential Democratic governor is coming into focus as the candidates campaign this summer.

In campaign appearances and interviews, Democratic gubernatorial candidates Rob Sand and Julie Stauch have laid out how their administration would manage Iowa’s Students First Education Savings Accounts, which was created in 2023 by Republican state lawmakers and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Under the program, families with a K-12 student enrolled at a private school may receive a taxpayer-funded scholarship equal to that year’s public school per pupil state funding level — nearly $8,000 in 2025-2026. That money can be used for tuition, fees and other school-related expenses eligible un