Democrat legislators use fear tactics to claim that school choice would bankrupt their state. They know that it’s an enormous lie. A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that school choice programs can save a state millions each year.
Martin F. Lueken writes that in The Journal, “a recent EdChoice study on 48 school-choice programmes across 26 states up to 2022 estimated that these programs would generate net fiscal benefits worth anywhere between $19.4 and $45.6 billion.”
Lueken continued, “Also, every dollar invested in these programs has saved taxpayers between $1.70 to $2.64 – a substantial return on their investment.” School choice programs do indeed generate significant savings.
The public education budget has risen dramatically, but there is no evidence that student achievement has improved. In the United States, 17,000 per student is spent annually. In just ten years, the spending on each student has increased by 56 percent. New York State spends a whopping 33,440 per K-12 student. Yet only 45 percent third grade students are proficient at reading. Only 42 percentof the eighth grade students in New York scored proficiently on math.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress test administered by fourth, eighth, and twelveth grade students, reading has declined at each level tested over the past 10 years.
Public schools continue to claim that they lack funding, despite the fact that more money has been spent in public education. Private schools, however, spend on average more than $4,000 less per student, and still achieve superior results.
If they do not, families may leave the school. Families may leave the school if they do not receive a satisfactory response. In the absence of programs that offer families the option to choose between private or homeschooling, the public school system can be a prison for children who are unable to attend a quality school or stay safe.
Teachers unions use their power to influence Democrat legislators to fund public education without academic accountability, while working to keep the near-monopoly of public education.
Since the public schools were closed for long periods of time, and parents could see their kids’ classrooms from the front row, they became frustrated with the poor quality of academic education. They also felt that their political views had been indoctrinated by the far left.
Many Republican legislators and governors have responded to this by listening and working towards a widespread education freedom, also known as school choice. Arizona Republican Governor. Doug Ducey enacted universal school choice in Arizona, which allows all families to choose the best education for their children by using a portion their state’s education funds through an Education Savings Account (ESA). Since then, Gov. Katie Hobbs is a Democrat who has said that the program would “bankrupt” the state.
Parents can allocate from $7,000 to $8,000 for each child. State and local tax revenue in Arizona provides more than $12,000. for each student. This number increases when federal funds are added.
Hobbs, however, stated that in 2023 the school choice program would create a shortfall to general funds of 320 million. Matt Beienburg, of the Goldwater Institute , reported in the previous year, when the program was first implemented, that the state of Arizona had posted a surplus of $2 billion .
Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne stated that “having a surplus more than four million dollars is proof positive” of the criticisms of the ESA Program. This was a myth that has been utterly dispelled.
Horne, who is responsible for public education, should not be in favor of ESAs. However, he knows the truth. Public schools do not meet the needs and wants of every student. Horne said that he couldn’t believe that anyone could be so callous as to deny parents the right to choose the best school for their children.
State saves money when parents receive an ESA. This is usually around half the amount the state pays per student in public education. More students who participate in the program save the state more money.
The benefits of universal school choice are many. They include parents, children, teachers, community members, future employers, state economy and students in public schools.
All states should implement universal educational freedom. This is both in the interest of the children and for the bottom line of the state.
Keri Ingraham, PhD, is Senior Fellow of Discovery Institute and Director of American Center for Transforming Education. She also serves as Senior Fellow for Independent Women’s Forum.
