Though Governor Branstad is a firm advocate for school choice in Iowa, he stopped short of making any promises for its state funding in the next legislative session while speaking with administrators, teachers, and parents at the Iowa School Choice Summit on Wednesday.

Branstad noted the bird flu epidemic’s economic toll on Iowa this spring and summer, and its continued impact as poultry farms begin to recover.

“We are facing some financial challenges due to the avian flu issue, so I have to base my budget based on the December revenue estimate,” said Branstad. “Because we’ve been very frugal, hopefully we can make some progress on that [school choice], but we have to look at the whole budget picture, but we will not have across-the-board cuts which you’ve seen so many times in the past.”

The governor noted that he has been a strong proponent for school choice in Iowa, pointing out his time as a young legislator pushing for families to be able to send their child to whatever school  they want to in the area. Branstad also championed Iowa’s latest school choice success: Student Tuition Organization Tax Credits, or STO’s.

“We’ve given $79 million to students since this program began in 2006,” said Branstad. “10,000 students have received grants each year, and I’m proud to say my wife and I make substantial contributions to that program each year. This is a contribution for which there is significant benefit for tax credits.”

The state has increased its contribution to STO, Branstad noted, from around $10 million in 2010 to now $12 million annually.

Eric Goranson of the Iowa Association of Christian Schools emphasized after the governor finished his speech that eliminating the public education system is not the goal of the summit, nor of his group’s work in the legislature.

“We want private and public education to soar,” said Goranson. “Budget woes are a concern, but we have a lot of grassroots support for our cause and we will continue to fight for families who want both public and private schooling. It’s not about who’s best and cutting out public education. It’s about creating the most choices for Iowa families.”