By Kathryn Hickok
2023 has been an outstanding year for school choice.
Utah, Iowa, Arkansas, and Florida enacted universal school choice programs for K-12 students. Families who opt into these programs may use a portion of their state education funds to pay for education costs including tuition or other education services.
Indiana expanded eligibility for its school choice programs, making its voucher program available to 96.5% of families with school-aged children.
Nebraska’s Opportunity Scholarship Act, a tax credit-funded program, provides opportunities for children to attend private schools chosen by their parents.
Legislation in Oklahoma included tax credits to offset tuition or homeschooling costs, pay increases for teachers, and funding for rural and charter schools.
Wisconsin increased funding for its existing school choice programs, charter school students, and the Special Needs Scholarship Program.
According to RealClear Opinion, seventy-one percent of voters now say parents should “have the right to use tax dollars designated for their child’s education to send their child to the public or private school which best serves their needs.” States that are empowering parents to find the right fit for their children’s educational needs are opening doors of opportunity for generations of students. Oregon should join them, so every student has a chance to succeed.
Kathryn Hickok is Executive Vice President at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization, and Director of Cascade’s Children’s Scholarship Fund-Oregon program.
