American Experiment’s $7k for Kids initiative in partnership with Opportunity for All Kids has prompted thousands of Minnesotans to email their legislators, encouraging them to support legislation that would provide students access to alternative learning environments and educational resources.
Legislators in opposition have been responding to their constituents with similar copy-and-paste messaging, lumping all choice programs together as “voucher” systems.
Perhaps using a word that has a negative connotation is convenient for their argument, or maybe they don’t understand that choice programs don’t function the same way.
“Each school choice program has different rules, funding mechanisms, and eligibility requirements,” writes the Herzog Foundation. “The effectiveness of these programs varies widely depending on factors like local context, funding levels, and oversight.”
In Minnesota, the Legislature has before it H.F. 19 and S.F. 244, which would establish an education savings account (ESA) program that allows families to direct a portion of the education dollars already allocated by the state for their child (not new spending) toward a variety of educational services. It operates differently from a traditional voucher program in key ways.
ESAs v. Vouchers: The differences
ESAs are more flexible than vouchers. A traditional voucher program allows parents to use the state education dollars allocated for their child toward tuition at a private school. ESAs can be used for various educational services, not just tuition. For students with special education needs or for students in rural areas, such flexibility and customization can be particularly beneficial.
ESAs are controlled by parents. Unlike vouchers, where the funds typically get issued directly to the school of choice, parents direct ESA account funds to a variety of educational service providers to customize their child’s education based on individual needs. Because ESA dollars are directed by parents to different education providers and services rather than directly to a school, these programs avoid constitutional concerns around state funding of private institutions. (As I note here, though, public dollars following an individual to a private institution is not a new concept.)
Why these differences matter
Distinguishing between vouchers and ESAs matter because word choice can introduce misrepresentation of and opposition to a parent empowerment program that would otherwise be well received. It can have a chilling effect on building bipartisan support for a program that a state’s constituency overwhelmingly supports. Even public school teachers support ESAs, and support increased when teachers were given a description and understood how the program operated.
The education landscape is continuing to evolve across the country. Indiana is the 17th state to provide all its families with the opportunity to participate in its choice program. Tennessee and Wyoming expanded their choice programs. Idaho passed its first choice program. North Dakota finally legalized charter schools. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the state’s first school choice program on Saturday. A federal tax credit program is being considered.
The number of new choice programs shows the momentum for educational freedom continues to build off years past. Minnesota could be next.