State Auditor says he continues to hear complaints, concerns over Educational Savings Accounts

MASON CITY — State Auditor Rob Sand says while he’s making stops in all of Iowa’s 99 counties this summer, the biggest thing he hears complaints about is the state’s Educational Savings Accounts program which provides money to help cover a child’s private school expenses.

Sand tells NorthIowaNow.Com News that many Iowans have expressed concerns about the program.  “It’s a huge program, we’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars that are going out away from public schools into private schools, and there’s very little oversight. We’re not allowed to audit what they do with the money. There’s only one rule with what they can’t do with it as private schools cannot pay a rebate, but anything else they want to do with it, they can. It’s not even really required that they put the money into educating our children. The opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse here I think are pretty substantial, and I think Iowans are recognizing that, I get asked about it everywhere I go.”

Sand says there’s more chance for waste, fraud and abuse as the program expands even further next school year. “Next year, there will be no income limits, and so basically we’ll be in the situation where everybody in Iowa that was already sending their kids to private school will now be doing it with your tax dollars instead of that money going to public schools.”

Sand made his comments during a stop for a town hall-style meeting in Mason City last week.