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Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey addressed the benefits of school choice in Arizona and advocated for its adoption in Idaho during his speech at the Idaho Statehouse. School choice empowers parents to select the educational approach for their children while providing financial assistance.
Ducey emphasized that implementing this policy has propelled Arizona to the forefront of education. In Arizona, school choice entails allocating public education funds to families, enabling them to decide the method and location of their children’s education, whether within the public system or elsewhere. This approach recognizes that children have diverse learning styles and unique requirements.
According to the former governor, school choice is currently limited to those who can afford to move to a better school district or pay for private school tuition. This creates an unequal playing field as not everyone has the means to exercise this choice. Governor Ducey questions whether we truly believe in equal opportunities, a fundamental aspect of the American creed. He highlights that many states with top-ranked education systems lack school choice options and instead invest heavily in education, yet their students struggle with lower reading levels. He finds this unacceptable and believes that as Americans, we should empower parents by returning the power of choice to them. This legislative session presents an opportunity to do just that.
Idaho Representative Wendy Horman revealed during a press conference held after the assembly that there are plans to introduce new legislation allowing parents to receive a refundable tax credit for educational experiences. Critics of school choice argue that diverting tax funding could potentially weaken public schools.
Moreover, there are concerns that the allocated funds might end up benefiting advantaged students instead of the intended target group of lower-income students. School choice is expected to have a significant impact on this year’s session, especially considering Governor Little’s proposal to allocate $50 million from his budget to expand school choice options.