By Kathryn Hickok
This month, Alabama became the most recent state to increase education options for students through Education Savings Accounts. Alabama’s CHOOSE Act gives families access to up to $7,000 per child to use at participating private schools or for other education expenses. Families who homeschool may receive up to $2,000. Low-income students have first priority, with eligibility expanding to all children by the 2027-28 school year.
Finding the right fit for their children’s education is increasingly important to families. According to nationwide polling, seventy-one percent of voters 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.” Counting Alabama, eleven states now have universal or near-universal school choice laws.
Different educational environments help students learn in the ways that are most beneficial for them. Oregon should give parents the power to choose the best education options for their students, so every child has a chance for an effective and motivating school experience.
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.
