Conservative groups , such as Focus on America , also decried the PRICE Act , calling it a “ trojan horse ,” and saying it “ enables tracking and regulation programs of ALL Alabama students .”
But one of the most prominent supporters of school choice in the state is Eagle Forum of Alabama ( EFA ).
EFA backed the PRICE Act in the 2023 legislative session . However , EFA President Eunie Smith has stated emphatically that EFA will not support any legislation that creates additional regulation or testing requirements on students who do not attend state schools .
Ainsworth said he has little interest in compromising any school bill to appease the whims of any advocacy group . Instead , he intends to back legislation that will most positively impact Alabama students .
“ I don ’ t see myself necessarily compromising a lot on the principles of the bill that is going to give parents flexibility and allow them to do what ’ s best ,” Ainsworth said .
“ For me , if the goal is really to have the strongest school choice program in the country — which that should be our goal because we ’ re at the bottom of most educational statistics , or near the bottom . So I think the goal should be , ‘ Let ’ s try to fix a broken system .’
We know school choice has worked in other states . So , I ’ m going to put my support behind the strongest bill , and I ’ m going to fight hard to keep it as strong as I can and not really give in or compromise on the things that are going to make the bill strong .”
Ainsworth contends he will not compromise on the substantive principles within whatever bill the legislature takes up , but there will almost certainly be debate and compromise on the extent of implementation . For example , with the PRICE Act , opponents claimed allowing full school choice across all grades would take an irreplaceable bite out of the ETF , which saw a massive surplus in 2023 .
“ It might be where we ’ ll do like a grade a year , or maybe we do two grades a year where it phases in over a 10-year period ,” Ainsworth explained .
“ No doubt it will take dollars out of [ the ETF ]. But what we have to realize is that it ’ s the taxpayers ’ dollars , the parents of these students who are homeschooling or sending their kids to private school . Maybe there ’ s families out there who can ’ t afford to send their kids to private school , but if they had this , would . Or maybe they would decide to just do a different public school . But at the end of the day , this is going to open up where each parent who knows their child the best can decide which educational option is best for them and their future . And that ’ s a win for Alabama and a win for the students in this state .”
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