Last week President Trump announced his support for $5 billion in Education Freedom Scholarships to expand and improve education options for one million students. Education Freedom Scholarships allow students to use fully-funded scholarships for private and home education; apprenticeships, industry training; tutoring; after-school education programs; transportation; and more.    

The scholarships would be funded through voluntary contributions to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations. Donors would receive a federal tax credit. The program is voluntary for states too, allowing state officials to decide whether and to what extent to participate.

Senator Cruz (R-Texas) and Representative Byrne (R-Alabama) are the leading proponents of this bill. Rep. Byrne observed,

"Every student in America should have the opportunity to receive a high-quality education, and we can help accomplish that goal through a new federal tax credit. This model has succeeded at creating opportunity for students in my home state of Alabama, and I am hopeful through this legislation that we can create similar opportunities for students around the country."

Alabama’s tax credit scholarship program is for students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, and whose family income does not exceed 275% of the federal poverty level. Students assigned to failing public schools have the first priority for scholarships. In 2018, 3,648 scholarships were awarded under this program, and the average amount of the scholarship was $5,541. 

Eighteen states now offer similar scholarships to help families send their children to good schools. The states are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia. 

Washington state now spends $27.3 billion on K-12 schools. Many schools are performing well for families and change there is not wanted or needed. But for those families of 44,000 students assigned to one of Washington’s 117 failing public schools, getting a scholarship would provide their children a golden chance to obtain a quality education.