This morning in Montgomery, school choice advocates, students and families gathered to celebrate all of the school choice options in Alabama – unified in the hope of further advancing those options during the 2024 state legislative session.
One week ago, Governor Kay Ivey announced the introduction of the CHOOSE Act in her State of the State address, which would provide up to $7,000 per child enrolled at an accredited, participating private or public school through an education savings account provided by a new income tax credit.
The CHOOSE Act is intended to bring the range of choices available to Alabama students and families onto the same par as options recently expanded in other states across the country.
RELATED: Ivey debuts universal school choice bill backed by legislative leadership, budget chairmen
Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth was among the speakers who addressed the crowd from the steps of the Alabama State House on Tuesday. That crowd included some who are school-age themselves. “Y’all excited to be out of school today?” Ainsworth asked.
“This is about kids in our state, and making sure that every child in our state, no matter where they live, has educational choice and educational freedom. And it’s about parents deciding – not because of the zip code, not because ‘I’m zoned for a failing school’ – but a parent can decide.”
“That’s what education savings accounts are about,” Ainsworth said.
The rally was organized by the Alabama Policy Institute, which has been the leading state-based organization advocating for reform and expansion of educational freedom.
Becky Gerritson, executive director of the Eagle Forum of Alabama, also addressed the crowd, expressing gratitude for the momentum behind school choice legislation in the state. Gerritson promoted the importance of protecting the rights of homeschoolers and private schoolers.
“As these bills make their way through the state house, through the House of Representatives and the Senate, we will be watching to make sure that homeschoolers and private schoolers are able to educate the way they want to with the curriculums that they decide they want to use,” Gerritson said.
Sheila Banister, a proponent of school choice and mother of five, said universal school choice “restores the proper role of the parent to the education process, reintroduces competition, and innovation in the education space, and making all institutions better…”
RELATED: Ainsworth on school choice: ‘I think we’re going to have to phase it in’
In his remarks, Ainsworth also looked to the success of school choice in Washington, D.C. – where competition between charter and public schools has led to major improvements in their local system.
He shared optimism that not only will the CHOOSE Act pass the legislature, it will effectively take Alabama to the cutting edge of educational freedom.
“Alabama will be one of the leaders, if not the leader, one of the top leaders in the nation on school choice,” Ainsworth said. “We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that legislation gets passed.”
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
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