In Fordham’s fourth annual Wonkathon, twelve wonks opined on how President Trump should structure his highly anticipated $20 billion school choice proposal:
To be maximally helpful to the folks inside the Administration and on the Hill who are actually working on this, we are seeking blog posts that focus on the nitty-gritty of how such an initiative should be structured. (Meaning we’re not interested here in debating whether choice is a good thing or whether it’s a good idea for the feds even to get involved with it. Though, to be clear, those questions are worth debating!)
Please draft a post that describes the contours of your proposal. Is it a federal tax credit and, if so, for whom? Individuals? Corporations? An expansion of 529 plans? A different kind of incentive for education savings? Something else? Would it support private school choice only, or other forms of choice as well, such as charters or magnet schools? Would it rely on state actions (such as the creation of a within-state tax credit scholarship program) or not? To what extent should it address (for example) student eligibility rules, regulations for participating schools, and accountability provisions at the federal level? Or will it leave that up to the states, or to scholarship granting organizations, or something else? For each of these decisions, make a case that yours is the best approach.
But who was the wisest, wonkiest wonk of all? Vote now for the best submission. Polls close on Tuesday, March 14, at 6:00 p.m. ET. One vote per person, please. (And may the best wonk win!)
