State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) is praising the ongoing success of the new school choice program in the Yellowhammer State.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey told board members earlier this month that fall enrollment in public schools is down by more than 5,000 students this year, partially due to parents using CHOOSE Act funds to enroll their child in a private school or to homeschool them.
While some see this as a problem for public schools in the state, Elliott believes this is a good thing for students in the state.
Thursday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” the state lawmaker said he noticed that many of the parents who are using the new school choice options are doing so because their child has special needs.
“They may have dyslexia or something like that,” Elliott explained, “and so they’re going to a school that really focuses on that, and isn’t that exactly what we should be doing? Right? Let’s try to make sure that these kids get the help that they need, and do so in a cost effective manner, instead of trying to stand up this giant bureaucracy at some public school system to help, you know, one particular kid that, yes, needs help.”
Elliott believes this is an example of more freedom working for families in Alabama.
“Let’s let them go seek that help where they can and have the freedom. What a novel idea to go do that,” he argued. “And so I think this is working exactly as it should, and I can’t. I can’t wait for the income restrictions to come off of it so we can expand it further.”
Elliott also reacted to the reality that public schools might not need as many teachers employed because they won’t have as many students.
“It’s not the teachers, although, you know, look, teachers are great people. I appreciate what they do, but the school system doesn’t exist for them. It exists for the kids,” he said. “And so we need to do what is best for the children. And I think this gives parents an awful lot of flexibility to do just that, what’s best for their particular child.”
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
