School vouchers remain a GOP priority even as voters reject them
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School voucher programs championed by President-elect Trump have faced stiff headwinds from voters but remain a priority for the incoming Republican-led Congress and the White House.
Why it matters: Republican supporters often cite "universal school choice" when backing these measures. Opponents of vouchers say they deepen inequality and siphon public schools' already scant resources.
How it works: School voucher programs enable families to use public funds to pay for private and charter schools and sometimes homeschooling.
The big picture: The incoming Republican-led Congress and White House could codify school voucher programs into law.
- Trump's campaign and the GOP 2024 platform support what they call "universal school choice" — an extension of the conservative parental rights movement — which could allow taxpayer money to be used for tuition outside the public school system, regardless of income.
- The Heritage Foundation-backed Project 2025 also touts voucher-like programs and school choice.
- Trump's Education secretary pick Linda McMahon, who served as a presidential transition co-chair and former World Wrestling Entertainment executive, will be tasked with carrying this through.
Zoom in: In an Arizona program, students already enrolled in private or home schools who accepted "Empowerment Scholarship Account" funds began to receive state funds, no matter how affluent their families were.
- Arizona voters in 2018 rejected school vouchers 65% to 35%, despite support from powerful Republican leaders, per ProPublica. Ultimately, the program was enacted by the legislature.
Between the lines: Children transferring from public to private schools take funds with them while public school overhead doesn't change for things like salaries, benefits, building maintenance, utility costs, and transportation, per education professor Josh Cowen, who wrote a book about vouchers.
- Meanwhile, low-income families, families of color, and children with disabilities have fewer choices under voucher programs, per a December report from researchers at the Center on Reinventing Public Education.
Context: At least 13 states and Washington, D.C., have some form of voucher program, which calls for the state to provide a set amount of money for private school tuition. Eligibility requirements vary.
- Major education groups including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the National School Boards Association oppose these programs.
- The programs were born out of opposition to school desegregation in the 20th century, per the Economic Policy Institute.
State of play: Some voters in November backed Trump but rejected these school policies. In Texas and Tennessee, state legislatures have proposed bills that would prioritize vouchers next year.
- In Kentucky, 65% of voters and all 120 counties rejected a proposal to change the state constitution to allow the legislature to provide state funding to students outside of public schools.
- In Nebraska, nearly 60% of voters repealed a voucher law. The law, put in place this year, provided taxpayer money for private school tuition, per the AP.
- In Colorado, an amendment that would have allowed for vouchers didn't reach the 55% threshold needed to pass, receiving 49% of the vote.
- South Carolina's Supreme Court in September deemed the state's voucher program unconstitutional.
What's next: Some red states are angling to push through voucher legislation next year or have already done so.
- In North Carolina, the Republican-led legislature in November approved expanding private school grants, per the AP. The legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper (D)'s veto, which was fueled by concern over the impact on the public school system.
- In Tennessee, the state legislature filed a bill to expand school vouchers statewide ahead of the 2025 legislative session. Republican Gov. Bill Lee's plan failed this year after widespread criticism and gridlock between Republicans in the House and Senate, Axios Nashville's Adam Tamburin reported.
- Lee may even call a special session in January focused solely on vouchers, which would allow lawmakers to pursue the measure on a sped-up timeline and give opponents less time to organize against it.
- In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott indicated that the Texas House would pass a school voucher program in 2025, the Texas Tribune reported. This has been his top legislative priority since last year; Abbott also endorsed pro-voucher candidates ahead of November's election, most of whom won.
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