Is 2015 the year for school choice?
News broke late this week that House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick said that 2015 could be the year for school choice. After several years debating opportunity scholarships—which would allow parents to take a portion of the funding we already spend on their child’s education and let them send their child to the school of their choice—this is music to many families’ ears. This type of parental choice is growing in popularity here in Tennessee, but it remains outside the grasp of families. All the while, hundreds of thousands of families across the country are exercising choice and stepping up to ensure their child receives a quality education. As Beacon has laid out in our education reform package, school choice is a rising tide that lifts all boats. Scholarship students benefit, those remaining in public schools benefit, and taxpayers benefit. It’s a win-win-win situation. For the sake of all Tennesseans, I hope Leader McCormick is right, and that 2015 is indeed the year for school choice in the Volunteer State. You can help us make choice a reality for our friends and families by signing up for the cause at SchoolChoiceNowTN.com. It’s time we stop funding systems and start funding children, and opportunity scholarships are the best way to do just that. -Justin Owen