T he Alabama Legislature will gavel in to conduct the people ’ s business in February 2024 , and as in the past two years , school choice is shaping up to be a hotly debated subject in both chambers .
For years , school choice proponents have fought for legislation enabling Alabama students to attend the school of their choice by allowing state tax dollars to follow each student .
The 2023 session saw an aggressive school choice bill carried by State Sen . Larry Stutts ( R-Tuscumbia ) in the Senate and State Rep . Ernie Yarbrough ( R-Trinity ) in the House . The Parental Rights in Children ’ s Education ( PRICE ) Act would have created an Education Savings Account ( ESA ) system allowing parents to use state funds from the Education Trust Fund ( ETF ) to apply towards their children ’ s education , whether that be in another public school , charter school , or homeschool .
The PRICE Act died on the vine , but the desire for school choice in Alabama only intensified , particularly as residents are watching other states implement school choice legislation , and also as culture war tension and lackluster state education performance grows . “ Almost 4 out of 5 voters with an opinion on the issues said they supported school choice legislation ,” an April 2023 poll from the Alabama GOP reported , “ while just over a quarter said they were undecided . The full survey results were 57 % support , 16 % opposed , and 27 % undecided .”
Although Gov . Kay Ivey was initially silent on the issue , the tide turned shortly after the 2023 legislative session concluded , with Ivey saying she wanted “ Alabama to be the most school choice-friendly state in the nation .” She has since said her office is working to draft school choice legislation to create an ESA bill for 2024 .
Several other lawmakers have proposed sundry legislation falling under the broad rubric of school choice . The result will likely be some amalgamation of the perceived best parts of each bill once lawmakers begin debating and amending legislation .
House Education Policy chairwoman State Rep . Terri Collins ( R-Decatur ) told 1819 News she plans to refile a bill from 2023 . “ The Alabama Fits All Scholarship Program ” would create ESAs administered under a program manager to eligible students .
The scholarship would be open to students in all non-public contexts , with certain preferential guidelines should demand outrun supply . However , the bill also requires specific reporting requirements to maintain eligibility .
But school choice discussions are still embryonic , and the specifics of any final bill are anybody ’ s guess .
For Lt . Gov . Will Ainsworth , one of the most strident voices pushing school choice in the legislature , the question is not if the state will pass school choice but how .
“ There ’ s several different pieces of legislation out there right now ,” Ainsworth told 1819 News . “ I think the PRICE Act will be back . There ’ s something similar to the Utah bill out there . The governor ’ s office is working on a package . So , what I want to do is look at all the different options out there and figure out what is going to give parents the most flexibility and what , at the end of the day , what ’ s best for the students .”
He continued , “ In legislation , as the process goes on , I ’ m sure it ’ s going to get amended and changed , but I ’ m going to put my support behind whatever piece of legislation I think will best move the needle for the students in the state .”
Critics of school choice , most notably the Alabama Education Association ( AEA ), claim any ESA would take resources away from the state ’ s already struggling school system by bleeding the ETF . Critics also lament the perceived lack of accountability of state funds given to parents to use on a wide array of educational materials , equipment , and activities .
The AEA boasted of working to defeat the PRICE Act , saying it “ would have been detrimental to the ETF and students in Alabama .”
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