With legislatures across the country in full swing, school-choice proposals - both vouchers and tuition tax credits - are being debated all over. Parents rallied on the State House steps in South Carolina in support of Governor Mark Sanford's tax credit for home school and private school students. As Sanford said, "This is simply about recognizing that competition has made every product . . . better." Florida Governor Jeb Bush is pushing to expand vouchers to students who score poorly on the reading FCAT three years in a row. "I think it's . . . as American as apple pie to give people a choice as to what's provided them," he remarked. We've reported previously on Ohio Governor Bob Taft's plan to expand Cleveland's voucher program to the rest of the state. The Utah House voted down a statewide tuition tax credit for private schooling, but the state House and Senate did pass a voucher program for special needs students similar to Florida's McKay Scholarship. Indiana's voucher bill stalled before a floor vote but, as the Indianapolis Star reports, "The glitch was procedural, and the fight on school vouchers is far from over." The bill's sponsor plans to reintroduce it as soon as possible. Finally, a voucher bill is awaiting floor action in the Arizona House. Arizona Republic columnist Robert Robb makes the case, "The most pressing educational need in the nation is to enable such kids who want to learn, or who have parents who want them to learn, to find the most productive environments in which to learn. And often, that is in private schools rather than government schools." Have we reached a "tipping point" on school choice this year? Probably not. But the level of legislative activity is unparalleled.
"Choosing choice," by David Salisbury, National Review Online, March 2, 2005
"School voucher bill stalls in House," by Staci Hupp, Indianapolis Star, February 26, 2005
"Value of school vouchers is now clear," by Robert Robb, Arizona Republic, February 25, 2005
"Bush pushes voucher bill to aid struggling readers," by Jackie Hallifax, Associated Press, February 24, 2005
"Parents rally for tax-credit bill," by Jennifer Talhelm, The State, February 16, 2005