By AnneMarie Schieber

There are plenty of gripes about today’s public schools, but it is easy to understand why nothing gets fixed: the money keeps pouring in. Public school administrators often cry broke despite getting billions of dollars from federal, state, and local governments. Public schools run out of money because so much of what they get is wasted. For example, my local school district spent $17 million on a new administration building even though enrollment has fallen one percent every year for the past decade. After that, the administration asked voters to approve a $340 million bond issue, in part to replace a perfectly good swimming pool. None of these items have anything to do with improving student performance but voters often say yes to these spending requests because they are sold “in the name of the children,” and the public schools are often the only game in town. 

Force Public Schools to Compete

The best way to stop wasteful spending is to force public schools to compete with others for the money they get, and the best way to do this is for Congress to pass the Education Choice for Children Act (ECCA). The ECCA would give families school choice in every state. Under the ECCA, families can get access to “scholarships” funded by private and corporate donors, not taxpayers, to help pay for school tuition, tutoring, education technology, online courses, curriculum, fees, homeschool expenses or special needs services. Unlike vouchers, the ECCA is a tax bill, not a federal program. There would be no strings attached to scholarships, which would protect the religious liberty of parochial schools, for example. All students would be eligible to receive the cash regardless of what kind of school they attend if their household income does not exceed 300 percent of the median gross income in the area where they live. The money could be available as early as the 2026-27 school year. 

An Even Playing Field

The ECCA evens the playing field in several ways. First, the money that would be used to fund the scholarships will come from private sources, not funds coerced from taxpayers, which right away sets up a guardrail against wasteful spending. 

Second, the scholarships would go to schools and private services that provide families with the best value. Scholarship-granting organizations would distribute the money to families who apply for it. Like any purchase decision, families would spend the money on schools and services that best meet their needs. These scholarships will foster instant demand for alternatives to poorly performing public schools. One reason there are few choices outside of public schools is because options like private schools are unaffordable to many families on top of the property taxes they pay for public schools.

With more options available to families, public schools will have to compete for students. Where I live, state funding follows the student. When families choose an education option that is not the public school, the public school loses that funding. Public schools will learn quickly that to keep students, they must improve their results. And if demand for public schools drops, there will be less of a knee-jerk response from voters to approve every spending request. 

Related: How Public Schools Cement Power

America's 'Cultural Revolution'—When Schools Battle Parents Over the 'Education' of Their Children (VIP)

Be Bold

It is critical that legislators not water down the ECCA when it is up for mark-up in the House Ways and Means Committee, anticipated to take place on May 13. For the ECCA to have its transformational effect, donor limits must remain intact to win the support of large donors, like corporations. Individuals can receive a non-refundable tax credit up to 10 percent of their adjusted gross income, or $5,000, whichever is greater, and corporations may contribute 5 percent of their taxable income for the tax credit. The bill sets aside $1 billion to ensure a $20 million fundraising floor for each state. This will prevent any one state from gobbling up all the tax credits. If 90 percent is raised, Congress can increase the amount to $10.5 billion in following years. 

The Florida Experience

Legislators have only to look to the state of Florida, which has had ECCA-like scholarship programs in place for nearly 25 years. Today, more than 500,000 students participate. Research has found that test scores of public-school students improved and absenteeism and suspension rates dropped in districts with more private school options. The ECCA could be the best opportunity yet to show the skeptical public that Democrats and Republicans can work together for the common good.

AnneMarie Schieber ([email protected]) is the managing editor of Health Care News, co-published by The Heartland Institute and the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research.

Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.

Help us fight back against Big Government waste and restore power back to the states. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.