School Choice

In the simplest of terms, it means letting every parent send their child to the school of their choice regardless of where they live or income. Parents choose schools based on their child’s needs, not their address.

In 1955, Dr. Milton Friedman proposed the idea of school vouchers, which would separate the financing and administration of schools, effectively jumpstarting the modern day school choice movement. But in the 50 plus years, school choice has evolved to include just more than vouchers.

Vouchers

These programs allow parents to use all or part of the government funding set aside for their children’s education to send their children to the public or private school of their choice. In effect, this separates government financing of education from government operation of schools. Most programs allow parents to send their children to either religious or non-religious private schools. Participating private schools are required to meet standards for safety, fiscal soundness and non-discrimination; some programs also impose additional restrictions.

Universal Voucher Programs
All children are eligible.

Means-Tested Voucher Programs
Children from families below a defined income level are eligible.

Failing Schools, Failing Students Voucher Programs
Children who are performing poorly in public school or who are attending failing public schools are eligible.

Special Needs Voucher Programs
Children identified as having special educational needs are eligible.

Pre-Kindergarten Voucher Programs
Children in pre-kindergarten programs are eligible.

Town Tuitioning Programs
Children who live in towns that do not operate public schools at their grade levels are eligible. In a few cases the town picks the schools to which its students will be tuitioned, but usually the choice of the school is left to parents.

Tax-credit Scholarship Programs

Individuals and/or corporations get a tax credit for making donations to private charitable organizations, which use the money to fund scholarships for students. These scholarships can cover the cost of private-school tuition, tutoring and transportation. In some states, students must meet certain income criteria to be eligible for scholarships. Scholarship-granting organizations can be started by community groups, philanthropic organizations or any other group that wants to extend school choice to children. Participating private schools are required to meet standards for safety, fiscal soundness and non-discrimination.

Personal Tax Credits and Deductions

Parents are given a tax credit or tax deduction from state income taxes for approved educational expenses. This usually includes private-school tuition as well as books, supplies, computers, tutors and transportation. Even when tuition is not eligible for the credit or deduction, these programs still make school choice easier for parents because they relieve the burden of non-tuition expenses at private schools. Some programs restrict the income level of eligible recipients or the amount they can claim.