This is What School Choice Looks Like
Students should have access to scholarships to fund whatever educational choice best suits them and their needs.
By Cassie Moran
Date: April 9, 2021
Too often, those who support school choice are marginalized, and the fight for change can feel somewhat hopeless. Nevertheless, take solace in the fact that you are likely not as alone as you think, and change can happen when you least expect it.
Take West Virginia, for example. Recently, Jayme Metzgar wrote in The Federalist about the dramatic shift in support for school choice in West Virginia. While just two years ago teachers’ demands were being met by way of illegal strikes, West Virginia has now passed some of the greatest school choice reform in the nation. Though many had been too scared to publicly share their support for school choice, they shared their support by voting, and education reformers maintained and even gained seats in the Senate. In effect, West Virginia was able to pass impressive school choice law.
So what does West Virginia’s school choice look like? Metzgar writes, “‘West Virginia now has the broadest-based ESA in the entire United States,’ [Sen. Patricia] Rucker says. ‘It’s not the most money, but it’s the most inclusive – and in most areas, it’s enough to send a child to private school. This really is a game-changer for students and families. We’re focused on funding kids now, not institutions. We’re funding each student to get the best possible education they can get.’”
This is great news for parents and children in West Virginia – and this is why we need strong leaders to continue the fight for school choice. This is exactly what school choice should look like! Students should have access to scholarships to fund whatever educational choice best suits them and their needs.
Florida may not have quite as expansive school choice as West Virginia (yet). Still, there are opportunities to make the most of your child’s education. One scholarship important to highlight is the Hope Scholarship. This scholarship provides the means for a student who has faced battery, harassment, hazing, bullying, kidnapping, physical attack, robbery, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual battery, threat or intimidation, or fighting at school, at a school sponsored activity, riding on the school bus or waiting at the bus stop. Check out the Liberty Scholar website to learn more about the Hope Scholarship and all of the options available to your family.
