Get ready to hear a lot more about school choice

Get ready to hear a lot more about school choice

What you probably already know: Get ready to hear a lot more about “school choice.” President-elect Donald Trump has indicated that he plans to focus immediately on making it easier for parents to send their children to private school by providing tax breaks and other programs that support tuition. While this would not directly send federal funds to private schools, it would mark a significant shift in the way schools are funded.

Why? Critics say it will divert precious resources from public schools and the 50 million children who attend them, while providing yet another boost for wealthy people who are already sending their kids to private schools. Proponents, however, argue that parents who might not be able to afford private schools but are unhappy with the quality of the public school education would have better access to new resources. There are currently 1 million students who participate in school choice programs across the U.S., a number that has doubled since the pandemic when many parents became frustrated with school closures, virtual programs and making policies.

What it means: Trump has indicated that expansion of school choice is a top priority, and Linda McMahon, who was tapped to head up the Department of Education, is also a strong supporter of school choice. Currently 10 states have school choice and 29 have a version of school choice through tax credits or education savings accounts. Private schools consistently outperform public schools when it comes to college entry tests and national assessments, though that could also be related to the fact that private school students tend to have stronger parental involvement and incomes than their public school peers.

What happens now? School choice will have to make its way through Congress, though with both chambers under Republican control, it’s likely to make it through. It’s likely to come in the form of tax breaks over vouchers, as that system seems to have more Republican support and is an easier talking point. While teachers’ unions have opposed this kind of legislation, they’re unlikely to be successful in opposing this expansion. The shift will result in less money overall for public schools. Total public school revenue is up 16% in the last decade, while the cost of living in the U.S. went up 19% in that same period.