Know Where Your Candidates Stand
For too long, a family’s ZIP code or income decided where their children could go to school. Parents who knew exactly what their child needed were told to wait, to settle, or to pay twice: once in taxes, and again in tuition.
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) put resources back in the hands of parents. When parents are empowered, students thrive, schools improve, and communities grow stronger.
The freedom your family has today is only as secure as the leaders who defend it tomorrow.
| Candidate | School Choice Position | School Choice Expansion | ESA Reform / Oversight | Private School Autonomy |
Zach Lahn (R) |
Lahn says school choice is a “foundational freedom” and argues that parents should have more say over where their children attend school. He supports public and private education and pushes Iowa to pursue excellence in both. |
Lahn has expressed continued support for Iowa’s ESA program. He is committed to giving educators the flexibility to solve problems through “innovation zones.” He also supports focusing education on skills mastery rather than memorization for standardized tests. | Lahn’s education platform emphasizes classroom innovation. He supports clearing out or minimizing bureaucracy to give educators flexibility and freedom to nurture and grow Iowa’s children. | Lahn supports preserving private schools’ independence and giving parents the freedom to choose private education through ESAs. He believes in the non-traditional private school model, similar to the one he co-founded. |
Rob Sand (D) |
Sand says that the current ESA model drains public funds and contributes to rising tuition costs. | Sand supports tightening ESA eligibility and has called for income limits. He argues that wealthy families who enroll their children in private schools should not receive the same subsidy as families who need financial assistance to access private education. | Sand demands annual audits on private schools’ spending of ESA funds. He also calls for limits or bans on private-school tuition increases. | Sand has proposed requiring private schools that take public ESA funding to accept all students. His stated position is: “if you take public money, you take the public.” |
School Choice Position: Co-founded private schools and prioritizes public school quality.
School Choice Expansion: Prefers driving state-level classroom innovation.
ESA Reform / Oversight: Favors clearing out bureaucracy to empower teachers locally.
Private School Autonomy: Supports the independent private school model.
School Choice Position: Argues the current model drains public funds and drives tuition inflation.
School Choice Expansion: Rejects expansion; advocates for tightening eligibility.
ESA Reform / Oversight: Demands annual public audits of ESA spending and caps on tuition hikes.
Private School Autonomy: Asserts that any school accepting public money must “take the public.”
Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3.
Learn from real-world leadership examples and make informed decisions on Election Day.
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