By Gov. Jeb Bush, Chairman, ExcelinEd in Action
This op-ed originally appeared in Education Dive
All families deserve access to schools and learning environments that work best for their kids. Everyone benefits when that’s the North Star policymakers follow.
This year in South Carolina, lawmakers are working together to improve the lives of students across the state with a school choice program called the Education Scholarship Trust Fund program. The program is an education scholarship account, or ESA, that would provide families with flexible spending accounts for education — funded by a state trust fund and controlled by parents.
With an ESA, parents can customize and direct funds to a combination of approved uses, such as tutoring, therapy for students with disabilities, online programs, private school tuition, exam fees and sometimes savings for future education expenses. Across the country, 17 states have already adopted ESA programs that, together, are supporting more than 300,000 students with a customized education.
South Carolinians might be thinking this sounds really familiar. That’s because policymakers adopted and began operating a similar measure last year. Despite overwhelming support from voters and the legislature, the measure was challenged and unfairly struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court after it was already being used by families across the state.
In an instant, thousands of students who could finally afford the education of their dreams had their funding ripped away. Thankfully, philanthropic supporters are generously funding those scholarships with private donations so families are not being turned away from schools they could not otherwise afford.
Lawmakers currently are debating how best to ensure the program has the resources it needs. I am hopeful that the General Assembly will reach a consensus to restore the program and expand it to serve the greatest number of students.
Funding mechanisms and eligibility aside, we know school choice is popular with those who need it most: families.
