Advocates for private-school choice were pretty stoked this week when a federal schools voucher bill got one step closer to becoming law. This is a big deal, especially since they couldn’t pull it off during President Trump’s first term. The House Republican budget proposal that slid through on Monday would dish out $5 billion for federal vouchers to cover private-school tuition, home-schooling materials, and for-profit virtual learning. If this program in the budget bill ends up going through, it could mean vouchers for all 50 states, even the ones that lean Democratic and have been saying “no thanks” for a while now.
Supporters of this proposal are calling it “historic” and a “huge win,” but some folks are reminding everyone that there’s still a long road ahead when it comes to getting it all sorted out in the legislative arena. Tommy Schultz, who runs the American Federation for Children, a group that’s all about advocating for private-school choice, said, “Ultimately, every child, especially from lower-income families, should have access to the school of their choice, and this legislation is the only way to make that happen.” On the flip side, opponents of the proposal were pretty shocked by how far-reaching it could be. Even though it’s totally in line with what President Trump wanted, many folks thought it wouldn’t even make it out of the House Ways and Means Committee in the first place because of the hefty price tag. So, it looks like things are heating up in the education world, that’s for sure.
