Alabama’s State Director for Americans for Prosperity Adam Thompson believes the already high demand from parents to be a part of the state’s new school choice program reveals just how much it was needed.
According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, more than 2,800 applications had been submitted for 4,800 children for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) on the first day.
If found eligible to be admitted into the program, families can receive a $7,000 ESA to enter their student into a private or public school at the beginning of the next academic year. Those homeschooled will be up for a $2,000 ESA with a limit of $4,000 for each family. An ESA can be used to pay for school tuition, tutoring, educational therapies, and other qualified education expenses at approved education service providers across the state.
Thompson discussed the early success of the initiative Tuesday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“I think it shows that this is a reform that has been much needed in Alabama, and parents are reacting positively for it, Thompson said. “When you have almost 5000 kids sign up on the first day, I think that’s one of the few instances where government is doing something right, giving people what they want. And at AFP, we were proud to be a part of that process and helping pass the CHOOSE Act with other great in state partners like the Alabama Policy Institute and Eagle Forum and others. We’re just, we’re really happy that parents and students are going to have educational freedom in the state of Alabama.”
Thompson said this is not something he thinks will hurt public school in the state, despite some criticism he’s heard about the program.
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“Absolutely not. I mean, it hasn’t in any state that has had any types of these reforms,” he said. “The the CHOOSE Act will not take one penny away from any local school system appropriation. We are in record appropriations, record budgets for school systems, you know, crossing the ten billion mark when you factor in all of the funds. $100 million is just a drop in the bucket to empower parents. And you know, if you like the school, you have, like I said, you can stay. This is a choice. There’s no need to change. There’s no forcing. It’s just empowering parents to have those options and put them in control, not the bureaucrats in Washington, DC, or are the ones here in Montgomery, right? It’s putting families and parents and students back in control.”
He also pointed out that ESAs can be used to transfer to another public school, which will also help many parents and students.
“The CHOOSE Act enables parents and students to purchase services from the public school system,” he explained. “So if I were a superintendent in Alabama, I’d do everything in my power to market ourselves as, ‘hey, we’re an attractive alternative. You don’t like what you’re getting. Come to our school system. We value your input. We want to serve you. We want to provide you these services.’ The public schools, the traditional schools also have a part to play in this process, and can really market themselves as an attractive alternative. If you you know, you use those, those marketing competitive advantages, to really set yourself apart from your peers. And I think that’d be great for public schools.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
