Red-state governors across the country have passed universal school choice legislation, igniting what experts call a "revolution."
"We're seeing a universal school choice revolution that has ignited all across the country. And it started with Arizona, but it really started because the teachers unions overplayed their hand and awakened a sleeping giant, which happens to be parents who want more of a say in their kid's education," American Federation For Children Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital.
Relations between teachers unions and parents have soured in recent years, particularly in response to academic slowdowns across the U.S. in the wake of COVID-19-related school closures.
Widespread calls for school choice and parental rights have emerged after states implemented lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic. School choice became a salient issue after the COVID-19-induced lockdowns sparked a conversation on the scope of the government’s authority and the type of content that should be taught to children from public school curricula.
Republican governors made significant inroads in pushing universal school choice legislation, which did not exist anywhere in the country a year ago. As of now, five states passed universal school choice.
Most recently, universal school choice legislation passed in the Republican-held Arkansas Senate on Tuesday. Below is a list of states that have recently passed school choice legislation over the past year.
"It's bigger than just tackling school choice, it's about taking a comprehensive approach to our education system here in Arkansas. I frankly am tired of seeing our state at the bottom when it comes to our performance and our outcomes," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Fox News Digital.
Arkansas is the latest of the Republican-led states to pass school choice legislation, becoming the fifth state to pass universal school choice. The legislation passed the Republican-held Arkansas State Legislature on Tuesday afternoon and will head to Huckabee Sanders' desk for her signature.
"A big piece of our legislation is parental empowerment, making sure we put power back into the hands of parents so that they have transparency in the curriculum," she said. "They have the ability to decide where their child can best be educated whether that's at a private school, charter school, public school, or home school. The parents know best how their kids can thrive and, and what environment is going to allow them to do that."
Senate Bill 294, also known as "Arkansas LEARNS", passed 26-8, marking the latest win for school choice.
The Arkansas legislation will broaden school choice and includes a plan for the state to adopt universal choice by the 2025-2026 school year. The bill will gradually provide vouchers through "Education Freedom Accounts," which equal 90% of funding allocated per student to each public school district in the previous year.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, R., signed a major school choice bill, giving parents more options for their children's education, and becoming the third state to pass universal school choice.
H.B. 215 established the "Utah Fits All Scholarship Program" and provided funding for the program, as well as boosted teacher pay.
Scholarship accounts were established on behalf of all Utah K-12 students to pay for "approved education goods and services" starting in the 2024-2025 school year. Utah trailed shortly behind Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed a similar bill the week before.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an unprecedented school choice bill called the Students First Act, allowing any Iowa student to use public money to pay for private school tuition or other expenses.
After the Students First Act was passed, Iowa was the second state to pass a school choice measure that expands to every student in the state.
Arizona became the first state in the nation to pass education scholarship accounts, expanding the program to all 1.1 million K-12 students in the state.
The Arizona State House and Senate passed Bill 2853 for the expansion of education savings accounts to have universal eligibility.
In July 2022, the state opened up its Educational Savings Account program to all students, eliminating restrictions that had limited it to those in poor-performing school districts, Indian reservations and those with disabilities. The state's program gives $7,000 per year for non-disabled students who choose not to go to public school, to be used for private school tuition, tutoring, homeschooling or other educational costs.
American Federation For Children Corey DeAngelis said to look out for " Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas."
IOWA GOV KIM REYNOLDS SIGNS HISTORIC SCHOOL CHOICE BILL: 'WE WILL FUND STUDENTS NOT SYSTEMS'
West Virginia Republicans passed an education savings account program in 2021. The legislation was initially available to all families who had children who wished to switch out of public schools. West Virginia’s law allows the program to eventually become universal.
The Florida State Senate committee held a hearing last month and voted in favor of a new bill that, if passed, would make the Sunshine State the sixth to have it.
While a few states passed significant school choice legislation, more than 50 pieces of school choice legislation have already been proposed this year. Other states that could potentially pass school choice legislation include Idaho, Indiana, Ohio, and Wyoming.
DeAngelis told Fox News Digital that "over 25 states have had legislators in 2023 introduce bills to fund students as opposed to systems."
"There's a lot of momentum going, and it might be a record-breaking year for school choice victories in 2023," DeAngelis said.
"Arkansas is the 5th government school monopoly domino to fall," DeAngelis said.
Many private schools stayed open while public school systems across the country closed in-person learning for entire semesters, even years, and remote learning lifted the veil for parents of what their kids were being taught in class.
School choice, or providing all families with alternatives to the public schools they’re zoned for, can be expanded through multiple avenues at the state level, including school voucher programs, tax-credit scholarship programs, individual tuition tax credit programs and deductions, and education savings accounts (ESAs).
Charter schools, magnet schools, and homeschooling are also forms of school choice programs.
