Maharishi School reports at least 65 students signed up for education savings accounts

FAIRFIELD – Nearly 70 students have signed up for an educational savings account to attend Maharishi School in Fairfield.

Head of School Richard Beall said that 65 students had completed all of the necessary steps to receive the savings accounts by early August. A few students had their applications approved by the state, but still had a few steps left to complete before school started.

The Iowa Legislature passed a bill this past session that gives families $7,635 for each student enrolling in an accredited private school. The Iowa Department of Education released county numbers earlier this month showing that 112 students in Jefferson County are taking advantage of an educational savings account, and that 18,627 ESA applications have been approved statewide.

Beall said he’s pleased at the number of local families who have signed up for this program in its first year, and that the 65-70 students who have signed up in Maharishi School is about the number he expected.

“We think that as more people get exposed to our school and understand the practical value of the programs here, we’ll see more interest in both ESAs and in our school,” Beall said.

Maharishi School’s enrollment for this upcoming school year will be between 160-170, Beall said. He said enrollment has been steady in recent years, but is “inching upward.”

“In terms of our high school students, the ESA is an exceptionally promising development,” he said. “This will be our first year through COVID, and I think our international boarding will be aided by that.”

The school’s boarding program, where students can live in the lower floor of Hildenbrand Hall just across the street on the campus of Maharishi International University, will have 22 students this year. Beall said most of those are students from other countries, particularly east Asian nations such as China, South Korea and Vietnam, but also some domestic students as well.

“There’s a great atmosphere there, where students can meet other people from different cultures,” he said.

Even among its non-boarding students, Beall said perhaps a majority of the school’s families have one or both parents from another country.

Beall planned to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but his replacement had to leave abruptly in the fall of 2022, so he resumed his post as head of school. This year, he will be sharing principal duties with Kaye Jacob. She will be in charge of the lower and middle schools, while Beall will be in charge of the upper school.

The school’s first day of classes is Tuesday, Aug. 22.

“Some people have been wondering about capacity, and we still have room for more students,” Beall said. “You can get admission right up until the first day of classes.”

The period to apply for an ESA for this school year has ended, but Beall said he wants the public to know that the school offers its own financial aid to families.

“Eighty-nine percent of our families qualify for financial aid,” he said.

Beall added that he hopes students in both private and public schools can receive the funding they need.

“Iowa has a healthy budget now, and we should be able to fund our public schools, because they’re taking kids we’re unable to serve,” he said. “We wish [Fairfield Superintendent] Stephanie Mishler the best, and we want to work collaboratively so everyone can get the funds they need.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com