School Choice: A Growing Issue in the 2024 Presidential Election

About this series

A growing number of states are making school choices funding available to parents, often without regard to their financial means. Over the past two months, CNHI reporters have explored those options, which include education scholarship accounts, voucher programs and tax credits. This series of stories examines how these programs work, how effective they are in improving education and the impact they are having on traditional public education.

School Choice: A Growing Issue in the 2024 Presidential Election

It’s common in political discourse for singular issues to be identified as “on the ballot,” depending on candidate support for those issues. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, school choice is squarely on the ballot.

School choice programs — vouchers, education savings accounts, tax credit scholarships — were active in 29 states and the District of Columbia at the start of 2024, according to the Education Commission of the States. Twelve states have programs with universal eligibility, something the national Republican Party wants nationwide.

Such programs vary, but many provide public tax dollars for use at private schools, religious schools and charter schools. The idea behind these programs is to give parents more choice in their children’s education, allowing them to choose a school that best fits their child’s needs.

However, critics of these programs argue that they are being used as a means to privatize public education, taking funding away from traditional public schools and giving it to private institutions. They also argue that these programs often favor wealthy families who can afford to send their children to private schools, while leaving behind low-income families who rely on public education.

The Impact of School Choice on Traditional Public Education

The impact of school choice programs on traditional public education has been a topic of debate in recent years. Some argue that these programs are helping to improve educational outcomes by giving parents more choices and providing additional funding for private schools. Others argue that they are having a negative impact, taking funding away from public schools and leaving them to struggle with budget deficits.

In Arizona, for example, the state has implemented a universal school voucher program, which provides about $7,000 per student in funding. However, this has led to a significant decrease in public school funding, resulting in teacher layoffs and at least three school closures. The director of Save Our Schools Arizona, Beth Lewis, argues that the state’s public schools lack necessary funding, leading to these issues.

School Choice as a Hot-Button Political Issue

School choice has become a hot-button political issue in the 2024 presidential election. Both Republican and Democratic candidates have weighed in on the topic, with some advocating for the expansion of school choice programs and others pushing back against them.

Former President Donald Trump champions school choice within his Agenda47 policy plan, listing it among his “Ten Principles For Great Schools Leading To Great Jobs.” His campaign links to research from the conservative Heritage Foundation touting school choice as serving parents and not the system, improving safety and educational outcomes.

However, some have criticized Trump’s stance on school choice, arguing that it is being used as a means to further privatize public education. Others have pointed out that the evidence on the effectiveness of school choice programs is mixed at best, with some studies showing no significant improvement in educational outcomes.

The Republican presidential nominee has also continued work to distance themselves from Heritage’s Project 2025 presidential transition proposal, which is also aligned with the GOP and Agenda47 platforms in its advocacy for expanding school choice and allowing the portability of taxpayer funding from public education to private school enterprise.

The Role of Billionaires in School Choice

School choice has also become a contentious issue among billionaires. Betsy DeVos, the former Trump education secretary, has long advocated for school choice and has supported public office candidates who support school choice. She has also been involved with the American Federation for Children, which has spent at least $9 million in 2022 supporting school choice candidates and working against opponents.

However, some have criticized DeVos and other billionaires for their role in shaping education policy. They argue that these individuals are using their wealth to push through policies that benefit themselves and their allies, rather than the broader public interest.

Conclusion

School choice has become a growing issue in the 2024 presidential election. While some argue that these programs are helping to improve educational outcomes by giving parents more choices and providing additional funding for private schools, others argue that they are having a negative impact, taking funding away from public schools and leaving them to struggle with budget deficits.

As the election approaches, it will be interesting to see how school choice is framed as an issue. Will it become a major talking point among candidates, or will it fade into the background? Only time will tell.