Iowa Legislature passes bill that gives charter schools path to grow, adds more pupil funding

DES MOINES — A bill has now passed in the Iowa Legislature that sends more dollars per pupil to charter schools and empowers the University of Northern Iowa to approve new charter schools.

Gov. Reynolds today issued the following statement after the House and Senate passed HF 2754, a bill relating to education and expanding opportunities for Iowa students who choose to attend public charter schools:

“Today, Iowa took another bold step forward in putting students first. I’m grateful to the House and Senate for passing this legislation to reinforce a simple, common-sense principle: funding should follow the student,” said Governor Reynolds. “HF 2754 strengthens our public charter school system through more equitable per pupil funding and authorizes the University of Northern Iowa to approve new charter schools. Public charter schools are an important emerging education model in Iowa and have seen a 213% increase in enrollment from FY23 to FY25. When you trust parents, support educators, and invest in students, outcomes improve, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Mason City’s state Senator, Doug Campbell, outlined a number of other bills that are working their way through the Legislature right now that deal with schools, including bills that deal with disruptive students and requiring schools to accept cash payments at events.