Kim Reynolds cancels Wednesday trip to private school, visits one Monday instead

DES MOINES – Kim Reynolds released a schedule Monday that left off her visit later that day to a private Catholic school with big tuition cost that offers concise directions on how to cash in.

Reynolds said Monday she was attending a pro-life rally at the Capitol, and then included events for Tuesday (visit Alburnett Community Schools) and Wednesday (visit Hamburg Charter High School).

However, this schedule was blown to bits when later on Monday she announced on social media that she had ventured into a private Catholic school after her prayer session at the Capitol.

“Today I visited Holy Family Catholic School, a year-round private school,” Reynolds said.  “Educational freedom empowers Iowa families to choose what’s best for their children!”

According to the web site for Holy Family Catholic School of Des Moines, they have a tuition page which makes it very clear how to score big bucks from the taxpayers using the ESA (Educational Savings Account). They describe it as, “a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts that eligible families may use to cover tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses at accredited private schools in Iowa. Eligible families can receive $7,826 per student annually to enroll at the accredited school of their choosing.

They go on to lay out that almost anyone will soon be able to score these taxpayer dollars.

“For the 2024-2025 school year, all incoming kindergarteners and current public school students qualify for an ESA. Plus, many families already enrolled in Catholic schools may qualify for an ESA based on income. By 2025-2026, All K- 12 students in Iowa will qualify for an ESA, regardless of income.”

It can cost up to $7,475 to attend this school, the website says.

Then, on Tuesday morning, she canceled her Wednesday charter school visit, her office said.

“Governor Reynolds is no longer able to attend her previously planned visit to Hamburg Charter High School tomorrow, Wednesday, January 29. We apologize for any scheduling inconveniences this may cause.”