(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says she is not giving up on her bid to get the 2022 Iowa legislature to provide state scholarships for students in private schools.  “We’ve had a lot of different things that we’ve looked at: narrowing it, doing a smaller number, limiting the number of schools that it would apply to, the percentage of poverty level,” Reynolds says. “I mean, we’ve talked about a whole host of things.”

In March, the Republican-led Senate passed the governor’s plan to provide state scholarships to 10-thousand students in low and moderate income households who enroll in private schools. Reynolds says some parents don’t feel their public school supports their values and a private school would be a better fit.

“The parent should have that choice to decide where is the right place for their child to get a quality education and the support system that they need,” Reynolds says. The plan has stalled in the House, as many House Republicans worry the proposal will hurt small, rural schools and benefit urban areas like Des Moines where there are dozens of private schools.

The governor’s plan for private school scholarships a year ago stalled, too. It was smaller and only for students transferring out of 34 public school buildings flagged for failing federal standards.