There’s good news coming soon on the school choice front for Alabama students and their families.
Starting on January 2, families have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance of up to $7,000 per child to assist with private school tuition. This assistance is made available due to the recent implementation of school choice legislation.
Alabama will be joining 33 other states and territories that have state-wide school choice, although there are varying types of school choice.
- Universal school choice: 12 states have universal school choice programs
- Education savings accounts (ESAs): 18 states have ESA programs, but not all are universal
- Other school choice programs: 22 other states have passed school choice expansion bills
There are concerns among some teachers, who are predominantly liberal, regarding school choice. They worry that this initiative may lead to a reduction in funding for public schools, potentially resulting in job cuts. Additionally, there are fears that it could impact the overall quality of education, especially for students from underprivileged backgrounds. This is because families with more means might opt for private schools, leaving public schools with fewer resources to support the remaining students. Furthermore, some teachers perceive school choice as a challenge to the authority and influence of teachers’ unions, which often advocate for the public education system.
Teachers’ unions, representing a considerable number of educators, frequently oppose school choice policies. They view these policies as a direct threat to their influence and their capacity to champion public education in the community.
Between the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), all fifty states contain active affiliates. The educators they pry dues from finance a sophisticated, far left political apparatus often inconsistent with their own beliefs.
The rollout of school choice in Alabama will be somewhat gradual.
For now, the Alabama school choice program is limited to certain groups. The first 500 ESAs will be reserved for students with disabilities and their siblings. Next, priority goes to children of active-duty military service members.
“Families that are at 300% or below the federal poverty level, which would be for a family of four about $93,000 of household income a year. So those are the categories of eligible students for this fall. And then over the next couple of years, those categories will expand until eventually all students can apply,” Doyle explained.
This is a great way for parents to reclaim their power as to how their school-age children learn, instead of dealing with the whims and ideology of teachers — and teachers’ unions — that don’t match their own.
