West Virginia, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and now Alabama. What do these states have in common?
School selection for everyone.
Alabama recently became the first state to introduce education savings accounts, the most common form of school choice, in 2024. The state enacted the Educational Hope and Opportunity for Students (CHOOSE) Act. “We all want all Alabama students to have access to a quality education, regardless of their zip code or school,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press release.
Families in every state are passing through new doors to educational options. Why are Michigan families left behind?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed the education savings account bill two and a half years ago, in November 2021.
The proposal would give participating families the flexibility to personalize their child's learning and manage their education spending accounts. Parents could have used that money to pay for textbooks, uniforms, test prep classes, occupational and speech therapy, school-based athletic activities, dual enrollment course tuition, and, yes, private school tuition. . If they choose.
The children receiving this support were likely those most in need, including students with disabilities, students in foster care, and children from low-income households.
At the time of Whitmer's veto, one poll showed the bill had an 80% approval rating among Michiganders. A recent EdChoice poll of more than 900 adults and 480 parents found that 69% of Michigan adults and 78% of school parents strongly or somewhat strongly support the ESA. , support is still strong.
An analysis of the 2021 bill by the Mackinac Center shows it would have minimal financial impact on state and local school budgets and provide broad benefits to students. This was commonly done as a fiscally responsible, bottom-up approach to addressing learning loss due to the 2021 coronavirus. This is still the case today.
As Mr. Ivey emphasized in his statement regarding Alabama's new CHOOSE law, school choice programs do not need to loosen their commitment to quality public education. Twenty percent of states opened the door to broader educational freedom and created school choice programs with no eligibility restrictions. Twice as many states are offering the option to at least some students and families.
Michigan lawmakers should follow the same path in our state.