The Alabama Education Association (AEA) is encouraging its members to contact lawmakers ahead of the 2025 legislative session to “limit the damage” of Alabama’s 2024 school choice legislation.
Lawmakers passed the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act during the 2024 legislative session, finally getting Gov. Kay Ivey's signature in March.
The law allows the Department of Revenue (ALDOR) to manage the education savings accounts (ESAs) for approved students. The ESA would be funded through a refundable income tax credit available to eligible parents. The individual credit would be $7,000 for students in participating schools, while non-participating school students — such as homeschooled students — are $2,000 per student and $4,000 per family.
An ESA can be used to pay for school tuition, tutoring, educational therapies and other qualified education expenses at approved ESPs across the state. ESPs are individuals or organizations ALDOR authorizes to provide educational goods and services to participating families.
After the AEA claimed credit for defeating a school choice measure in 2023, it took a publicly neutral position on the CHOOSE Act during the 2024 process while still working behind the scenes to change the legislation.
SEE ALSO: AEA urges members to demand funding cap in school choice bill
Now, months before the 2025 legislative session, the education union is encouraging members to lobby lawmakers to halt further advancement.
In the October edition of the AEA’s publication, the Alabama School Journal, AEA executive director Amy Marlowe encouraged the union’s members to “urge your legislators to limit the damage of the CHOOSE Act.” Marlowe’s anti-school choice screed is filled with fearmongering and scare tactics, warning readers that school choice only positively affects the wealthy.
“Every time the school choice crowd comes to the Alabama Legislature asking for more public education funding to be diverted to private schools, it's always the same soundbites: ‘the money just follows the child;’ ‘kids trapped in failing schools with no options;’ ‘allowing parents to make the best choice for their family;’ etc. Your AEA Lobby Team can hear them in our sleep,” Marlowe said.
She continued, “The phrase universal school choice is about as genuine as telling someone bless your heart. What they really mean is that wealthy families who have sent their children to exclusionary private schools for generations will get a government handout for doing so. Parents will get a school voucher no matter how much money they make. Where there is means-testing under CHOOSE for the first two years, that was just window-dressing to pass the bill - the real money starts flowing in 2026-2027 when the well-off start getting their handouts.”
Marlowe goes on to opine on the perceived adverse effects the CHOOSE Act will have on public school funding, painting a grim picture of students leaving the public school system “crippling” schools that already receive less state funding. She further speculated that shifting money from public schools to follow students to a school of their choice would rob schools of free lunches, music, art programs and much more. Her speculative assertions are the crux of her argument as to why the legislature should put caps on ETF spending.
“The time is now to talk to your legislators about keeping a lid on the CHOOSE Act before it swallows Alabama's Education Trust Fund (ETF),” Marlowe wrote. “Ask them why students who have never attended a public school should suddenly get a voucher to continue to attend their private school. Ask them why millionaires need a government handout when their kids are the third or fourth generation of that family to attend a private school. Ask them why private schools should siphon money from public schools that can't afford art, music, or other programs shown to enhance academic performance. Ask what choice the children who need a school bus and a free lunch have, especially when so many live dozens of miles from the nearest private school. Make a pro-school choice legislator tell you why there should not be a cap on the CHOOSE Act.”
“Alabama parents have always been able to choose to have their children attend private school, religious school, or home school. Until recently, they just haven't been asking the taxpayers to subsidize their choice. Choice is not the issue - it never has been - the diversion of public resources to private pockets is the issue," she added.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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