State Legislatures Considering Educational Alternatives
State Legislatures Considering Education al Alternatives
Giving Parents Greater Control Over Their Children’s Schooling
(Washington, D.C.) – A new program that would enable parents to design individualized Education al plans for their children is being debated in several state legislatures. The Education Savings Account program would see the funds that the state would have spent on a child’s Education deposited into an account controlled by the parents to be used for custom Education al needs. The amount ranges from $5,000 to over $30,000 per year and it can be used to cover tutors, homeschooling, online classes, private school tuition and more.
Thus far similar programs are in effect in Florida and Arizona, and have garnered bipartisan support in states like Nevada and Texas. Expanded Education al options can have a great impact in those states with high Hispanic populations: according to Stanford University’s CREDO center “Hispanic students enrolled in charter school show significantly better performance in reading and math than their peers.”
Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative, released the following statement:
“School choice remains both a civil rights issue and an economic one. Expanded Education al alternatives are needed to provide our next generation with access to a quality Education and create the skilled workers that are essential to American competitiveness in the global economy. Hispanic students stand to benefit greatly from a wider array of choices to fit their Education al needs. Currently, the high school dropout rate for Hispanics is 14 percent and the effects of limited Education al options disproportionately impact economically disadvantaged students. This is why LIBRE is committed to advancing school choice and we are heartened to see legislators take up this vitally important issue.
Educational Savings Accounts, Charter Schools, and Voucher programs are just some of the potential avenues to reform our public Education system and work to provide a solid foundation for our children to achieve their dreams. School choice is a no-brainer because we know that kids win when parents choose and every student counts.”
For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Brian Faughnan, 703-678-4581 or Steven Cruz, 202-578-6173.
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