In a recent Alabama Political Reporter article, Chance Phillips makes the assertion that the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, incorrectly called a “school choice voucher,” was the cause of Arizona’s 2024 budget deficit. Phillips proceeds to issue a word of caution to Alabama lawmakers and citizens, who are soon to benefit from the new CHOOSE Act.
Here’s the problem: the entire premise of the article, mostly referencing another incorrect article by ProPublica, is inaccurate and misleading. Here’s why.
For those new to the school choice debate and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), here is a quick primer:
The media negatively refers to ESA programs as vouchers, which is constitutionally inaccurate in many cases, specifically in Arizona. Arizona launched the nation's first ESA program, proving way back in 2013 via the Arizona Court of Appeals Niehaus v. Huppenthal decision that the program was factually not a voucher and thus constitutional as an education scholarship.
Arizona’s ESA program started in 2011, becoming “universal” in 2022, making all 1.13 million Arizona public school-aged children eligible. The program allows families to take 90% of the Arizona per-pupil funding to a school or education environment of the family’s choosing, whether public or private. The Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee wasn’t able to budget for the universal expansion of the program until fiscal year 2024, and they estimated that around 68,000 students, or just over 5%, would likely sign up for an ESA. These are students choosing to either opt out of public school, or ones who were homeschooling or in private school.
Both Phillips and the article from ProPublica assert percentages around the number of students who were previously enrolled in public school before getting on an Arizona ESA. The so-called report by the Grand Canyon Institute incorrectly assumes that the data provided by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) on prior public-school enrollment means that new ESA students under the universal expansion never attended public school. But that’s not the case. ADE only checked if a student was enrolled immediately prior to applying for an ESA, not if they were ever enrolled. Additionally, students in Arizona become eligible for an ESA at age five or in kindergarten, and therefore, many ESA students starting the program in kindergarten and otherwise who would have attended a public school aren’t counted.
The article further swings and takes a massive miss because it fails to understand the state’s Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship program, which has been around for private school families for over 20 years. Families switching from a private school tax credit scholarship to an ESA are, therefore, not a net new cost to the state, as the author asserts.
The article also references the Brookings Institute report on Arizona, failing to mention the massive backlash and debunking of that report shortly after its publication by the Heritage Foundation’s Jason Bedrick in Education Next, “No Passing Grade for Fatally Flawed Brookings Report.”
“A recent report by the Brookings Institution claims that Arizona families participating in the state’s K–12 education savings accounts policy are disproportionately wealthy,” Bedrick asserts. “However, the report suffers from a fatal flaw that renders their analysis meaningless.”
Bedrick goes on to explain that Arizona’s ESA program does not require or collect income data from participants, and it fails to acknowledge the tax credit scholarship program mentioned above.
Despite Phillips’ attempts to create unnecessary public alarm before the rules of the CHOOSE Act are even published for public comment, he also fails to point out that Alabama has several school choice options currently available, including two other scholarship programs: the Alabama Accountability Act and the Education Scholarship program. While these programs are not designed to be universal, targeted instead for students of specific needs, they have been successful in their aim and the Alabama Legislature has expanded those programs as recently as the 2023 legislative session, not to mention that the Education Trust Fund is the largest to date with over $9 billion.
Legislative members spent a lot of time researching and looking at other states’ policies to develop a universal school choice policy for Alabama. They specifically looked at Utah’s ESA bill because Utah is a leader not only in education but education freedom for families. (Something else to note is that Utah’s students consistently score in the nation’s top 10 in math and reading according to nationsreportcard.gov. Alabama’s Department of Education may want to learn more from Utah.) Our legislators were equally concerned about ALL Alabama students and put together a program that can benefit those who need different options.
The CHOOSE Act empowers families to select the best educational option for their students. The program is rolling out over a three-year period, giving students in failing schools, individuals who have special educational needs and military families priority in the first two years of implementation. The program will be universal to all Alabama students and families in the 2027-2028 school year. Funding available is up to $7,000 per student for a private institution and $2,000 per student for a home school student with a maximum of $4,000 per family.
Just like the shirt or hat that is labeled “one size fits all” rarely fits or looks good on all people, so public schools don’t meet the needs of all students. And while public school may be the best fit for “most,” those who don’t fit into the “most” category need other options for their educational needs regardless of their zip code or family’s income level. The CHOOSE Act will help families who need and want other options receive the best education possible.
Since its inception, competition in the educational space, aka school choice programs, has improved the overall education of our children. We should all want what’s best for all Alabama children because when children are educated and happy, we collectively have stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger Alabama.
Sheila Banister is the Alabama regional director for Love Your School. She can be reached at Sheila@LoveYourSchoolAL.org.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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