School choice is still a hot topic for parents, even parents in some deep blue districts who are caught between the teachers' unions and the local anti-school choice Democrats who are the teacher's union pets. The Trump administration, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, has now created a federal school choice program, and 31 states have opted in.
That's what we call a good start.
Thirty-one states have opted in to the federal Education Freedom Scholarship Program, while 19 states and Washington, D.C. have not done so, ahead of the January 2027 deadline.
The Trump administration launched the school choice initiative in 2025 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This created a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for individuals who donate to certified Scholarship Granting Organizations.
SGOs would then distribute funds to families for education expenses, including tuition, tutoring, curriculum and instructional materials.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and other supporters of school choice have said these programs place parents back in the driver's seat of their child’s education, providing more flexibility and options for the family.
The plan has its opponents, pretty much all of them Democrats.
Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois have raised concerns about state oversight, accountability and the degree of control states would retain under the federal initiative.
So, they're concerned about state oversight in education? Could it be that some Democrats are re-discovering the wonders of federalism? That's something new from Democrats, but then, Democrats always seem to find their principles to be somewhat situational.
This program is basically a federal voucher program, and yes, it's a good start. But it's only a start. The goal, the desired end state, should be this: No government involvement in education, at any level.
At the federal level, the Constitution is mute on education. Taking that and the 10th Amendment into account, the federal government has no business being involved in schools, colleges or universities; the very existence of the Department of Education is constitutionally fraught. Until the late 19th century, even well into the 20th in some states, education was a matter of local concern. My mother, during the Depression in eastern Iowa, went from 1st grade through 7th in a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher, hired by the county, handling all those grades. That model may not work now, but the control of education at the state or local level at least doesn't carry the constitutional concerns.
Better to have no government involvement at all. Let the private sector handle education. Let a thousand flowers bloom, and let parents bear the consequences of sending their kids to either the Elon Musk STEM Academy or to the Elizabeth Warren School for the Terminally Woke. Some may find that a risky proposition, but honestly, given the state of many of our nation's schools, especially in our major cities, isn't up the only way we can face?
Meanwhile, initial indications are that this program started under the One Big Beautiful Bill is set to yield some good returns.
In Colorado, The Center Square reported that the tax credit program could generate between $164 million and $493 million annually, create thousands of jobs and expand access to schools of choice for tens of thousands of students.
States that have opted into the federal Education Freedom Scholarship Program are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
There are a lot of things we could do to improve our school systems. Giving parents more choice is key among them. This new program does that, and that is, as said above, a good start.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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