Teacher Tea
Breaking Free: The School Choice Movement
“School Choice” is a broad term that encompasses various policies aimed at giving parents more options in their child's education. These policies can include voucher programs, which provide government funding for private school tuition, and charter schools, which are publicly funded schools that operate independently of local school boards. In some cases, proponents of School Choice propose tax-credit scholarships that offer tax breaks for donations to private school scholarship funds. School Choice policies might also include education savings accounts, which are state-funded accounts that can be used for various educational expenses.
School Choice policies often elicit passionate reactions, since they can have enormous impacts on education. Some argue that opportunities for School Choice increase competition among schools, leading to better teaching and improved student outcomes. But others express concerns that School Choice could lead to increased segregation and the diversion of resources away from the schools that need them most.
To what degree should parents be allowed to make choices about their child’s education?
In today’s article, we consider one example of this debate. In Chalkbeat’s “Voter Guide: Amendment 80 Would Enshrine School Choice in Colorado Constitution,” Melanie Asmar reports on the upcoming School Choice amendment vote in the state of Colorado. Amendment 80, set for a vote in Colorado on November 5th, 2024, aims to add the right to School Choice into the state constitution, allowing children to apply to any public school and potentially expanding this choice to private schools and homeschooling. Supporters, including the conservative group Advance Colorado, argue that it protects parental rights in education, while opponents, such as the Colorado Education Association and various school districts, worry that it could lead to the funding of private schools with public money. The amendment requires a 55% majority to pass, and could face legal challenges regarding its interpretation and implications for future education policy in Colorado.