Are you interested in k-12 school funding following the student? Are you interested in allowing parents to choose where there child/ren go to school? The following article was published at The Washington Examiner and does a good job outlining the coming changes to school choice. Hardly anyone is talking about it, but Congress has just passed one of the most consequential education reforms in history. Tucked into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a provision that could transform how families access education, reshape the politics of schooling, and finally give parents the power to direct their children’s learning. The legislation establishes a first-of-its-kind federal tax credit … [Read more...]
School choice to reshape Wyoming students’ education
Washington State democrats and teachers unions are fighting to STOP school choice. Idaho recently took steps to support choice. Today we bring you an article from Mountain State Policy that you may find interesting....if you are wondering what neighbors are talking about. Wyoming residents are speaking loudly in support of school choice. In the first two weeks that residents could apply to receive $7,000 allotment per student under the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act--signed into law March 4 -- the Wyoming Department of Education received 3,484 applications, which includes 164 for Pre-K. Wyoming is one of multiple states this year, including Tennessee and Texas, that … [Read more...]
Is School Choice a Free Market Solution?
This article was published at Real Clear Wire Proponents of school choice often use the term "free market" to woo conservative voters and politicians. I've been helping families choose other education options for decades. One of the first things we teach in debate class to tens of thousands of students each year is that a proper definition of terms is critical to success. Understanding the definition of a free market is vital in evaluating if state-sponsored choice will achieve its goals. Is school choice a “free market” solution or something else? School choice activists have defined a free market as when the government gives everyone the same amount of money to spend at any … [Read more...]
School Choice Is Usually a Conservative Issue. Not in Kentucky
From the Free Press Oct 31, 2024. The article is long and provides in depth information about their situation...some of which may be useful to you. LOUISVILLE, KY—More Grace Christian Academy is located inside a small, run-down church in the West End, the poorest neighborhood in the biggest city in Kentucky. In 2021, at the height of Covid school closures, Cecil Blye opened the school, named after the nearby church where he serves as pastor. There are about a dozen kids, almost all black, from first through twelfth grade. By the time most of them started at the school, Blye told me, they were at least two to three grade levels behind. He said none of their parents pay the school’s $100 … [Read more...]
South Carolina Court Strips Families of Educational Freedom
Today's article will be interesting to those of you who follow school voucher programs. The concept has been advancing nationally but is fought tooth and nail by teachers unions. The original article was published in the Daily Signal. South Carolina dad David Warner is afraid to tell his sixth-grade son that he will have to leave his school, teachers, and friends because the state Supreme Court struck down the Palmetto State’s school voucher program. “Today definitely felt like a kick in the stomach,” Warner said. The Warner family was using an education savings account to send their son to a private, Christian school this year. But after the South Carolina Supreme Court on … [Read more...]
School choice foes turn to ballot referendums as states expand voucher programs
The number of states that have added an option to allow some or all of the funds for K-12 education in public schools to follow the children appears to be causing issues with....teachers unions. In the following article from The Washington Examiner they spell out some of the efforts and tactics teachers unions are going to try and stop "choice" Voters in Nebraska are likely to weigh in on the state's school choice program after a group submitted more than 100,000 signatures last week, seeking to force a ballot referendum. The effort seeks to repeal a state law passed this year that established a $25 million tax credit program for donors who give money to a scholarship fund that … [Read more...]
Public vs. Private K-12 education cost review July 2023
As parents finish a school year and vaguely think about the Fall we thought it might be helpful to pull some information together about cost of public vs private schools. What follows is the most current data varying from 2021 up through 2023. For the 2023 school year, there are 39 private schools serving 5,466 students in Clark County, WA (there are 145 public schools, serving 75,243 public students). 7% of all K-12 students in Clark County, WA are educated in private schools (compared to the WA state average of 9%). As we closed out the 2022/23 school year the private school tuition costs were about $9,585. Public school cost numbers may vary depending on the source. The State of … [Read more...]
School Choice Voucher Program – Update
So which states have taken action on school vouchers? Here's what our searches have produced: https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/interactive-guide-to-school-choice.aspx Welcome to NCSL’s Interactive Guide to School Choice. School choice comes in many different forms and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia provide parents the ability to send their child to a school outside their neighborhood in some way. Charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment programs and state turnaround districts all provide public school options to parents. School vouchers, education savings accounts and scholarship tax credit programs expand those choices to include private schools. Clicking … [Read more...]
School Vouchers – 2021 – Washington State
Representative Vicki Kraft, 17th LD, is going to reintroduce her school voucher legislation in the 2021 session. Following are some news reports of what she will propose: From February 2020 here is an article at CCT: https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/rep-vicki-kraft-introduces-bill-to-offer-parental-choice-of-where-their-children-attend-school/ December 7, 2020: https://vickikraft.houserepublicans.wa.gov/2020/12/07/kraft-school-choice-opinion-editorial/ December 8, 2020 this article in The Reflector: http://www.thereflector.com/opinion/article_db09bc56-39b9-11eb-9d24-03c99016ddc4.html Here is a link to two articles we've shared on vouchers: … [Read more...]
Homeschooling during the Covid 19 shutdown – Part 2
In Part 2 we want to explore whether parents are really thinking about leaving the public school system and if so what are their choices? In an article we published on April 21st, 2020, we explored various tools and websites that are available to help: https://swweducation.org?p=6453 Today we expand on the list and explore what parents are reported to be thinking... In a story published at WND.com on may 22, 2020: https://www.wnd.com/2020/05/homeschooling-vast-unplanned-experiment/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=wnd-newsletter&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=newsletter they said: Not everyone is viewing school closures as a disaster. For decades, schools have become … [Read more...]