Following news of a 38% increase in funding for Alabama's universal school choice program, also known as the CHOOSE Act, Huntsville City School Board member Andrea Alvarez again attacked the Alabama Policy Institute and State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee.
In a recent Facebook post, Alvarez, a vocal opponent of school choice, called Orr the "financial albatross of public education" and called for the Alabama Policy Institute to be stripped of its nonprofit status.
“Maybe I'm doing it wrong,” wrote Alvarez. “So now I have "Alvarez Issue #1": get Arthur Orr voted out for being the financial albatross of public education and "Alvarez Issue #2: Get API to lose their non-profit status since they clearly are for profit when they get taxpayer money back for their own kids....”
On Wednesday, Alavarez expanded on her post in a statement to 1819 News.
"Unelected non-profits should not be writing policy, especially unconstitutional policy that allows taxpayers to foot the bill of education that does not meet state standards, does not have any accountability factors and has no transparency into spending," stated Alvarez.
"Public schools must follow hundreds of laws, educators must be certified, and students must pass accountability measures that Alabama lawmakers (like Orr) have insisted were required to ensure taxpayers were getting a proper product," she continued. "Suddenly, those requirements aren’t needed of the funds that enter private hands…oh, unless it’s SNAP funds that enter private hands and then Orr also agrees those funds should be regulated. API and Orr lack principles and the people in the State of Alabama deserve better."
President and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute, Stephanie Smith, told 1819 News that board members like Alvarez are "blaming lawmakers and non-profit organizations for their own failures."
"The Governor announced Wednesday that almost 50,000 students applied for the CHOOSE Act this year," Smith said. "Over 70% of Alabamians support fully funding school choice programs. Unfortunately, despite the recent good news for families across the state, some school board members are still trying to blame lawmakers and non-profit organizations for their own failures."
Added Smith, "Alabama is a national education freedom leader and school choice is here to stay!"
According to the API, the funding for the school choice program will increase from $180 million to $251.2 million. $1.2 million will be pulled from the Education Trust Fund, with the remaining amount coming from the ETF transfer and the CHOOSE Act fund.
RELATED: Parents, students want choice: Ivey announces record CHOOSE Act applications for 2026–27 school year
The 2026-2027 CHOOSE Act application deadline closed on March 31 with 29,341 applications representing 48,927 total students, more than doubling the number of participating students in the 2024-2025 school year.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day.
