Amid various attacks on school curricula across the country, a different assault on public education is also rising: the use of taxpayer money to fund private education.
The so-called “school choice” movement has been a centerpiece of the conservative agenda in recent years. According to the American Federation for Children’s website, a non-profit advocacy group for the policy, school choice gives parents “a wide range of high-quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, virtual learning, or homeschooling.”
While the wording of the statement may seem noncontroversial, the reality is that instead of increasing investment into public schools, these advocates and politicians want taxpayer funds to be ushered into private schools. The way that school choice policy is often structured at the state level is for school vouchers to be funded in a similar fashion to how a grant would be given to a person or organization. It is not a solution for public schools that are struggling – it stagnates any potential progress or makes things worse for those outside of the lucky few who gain access to these funds. It does not sound like a choice to me at all.
The pervasion of school choice has now unfortunately moved into our own backyards here in N.H. In state fiscal year 2023, over $12.1 million dollars were dispersed into education freedom accounts (EFAs), according to an N.H. Department of Education analysis. For every dollar that has already been spent on the subsidization of private education, it is one less dollar that could’ve gone toward public education.
Though the EFA program in N.H. shows no signs of being repealed any time soon, Democrats in the state legislature have proposed a necessary step in ensuring enforcement of some standards on schools that receive EFA funds. According to a Sept. 30 article from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR), HB 628 is a bill in the state house that would “require employees of any organization that contracts with the state of New Hampshire to provide in-person instruction to undergo a background check.”
A background check should be a bare minimum measure taken to ensure security and safety for students who do end up attending these private schools. It’s extremely disheartening that the House Education Committee appears to be on the brink of deadlocking on the bill through partisan lines. How can any state legislator support partial subsidization of private schools, and then turn around and say that something as simple as a state background check shouldn’t have to be done on the people teaching those kids?
Combatting school choice shouldn’t be a partisan issue. In other states such as Texas, there have been bipartisan votes against the implementation of the policies. According to an April 6 article from KVUE ABC, an amendment to the Texas state budget that would prohibit the use of public funds for school vouchers was approved in an 86-52 vote, with 11 members voting “present.” Despite Republicans having a 21-seat advantage over the Democrats in the chamber, as well as having the support of Gov. Greg Abbott, a coalition of Democrats and rural Republican representatives delivered a resounding defeat to voucher programs.
The reason for the amendment’s passage is clear: legislators who represent rural districts in Texas recognize the irreparable harm that could be caused to rural school systems if funds are diverted elsewhere. With enrollment largely on the decline in many rural areas already, including here in N.H., it is important now more than ever to make sure that these communities are supported, not abandoned by our government.
A Jan. 13, 2022, article from NHPR stated that N.H.’s student population has declined by 18.5 percent over the past 20 years. People are having fewer kids and populations in these areas are getting older, which becomes harder to sustain for smaller districts in rural areas across New England, as well as the U.S. overall. If strong reform or repeal of the EFA program is not passed, I fear that some school districts will have no “choice” but to shutter their doors.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
