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Civitas Outlook
Topic
Pursuit of Happiness
Published on
May 22, 2025
Contributors
Michael Toth
Dan Lips
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

The One-Two Punch Working Parents Need for Educational Choice

Contributors
Michael Toth
Michael Toth
Research Fellow
Michael Toth
Dan Lips
Dan Lips
Dan Lips
Summary
Innovative state-level approaches to education funding should inform new federal reforms.
Summary
Innovative state-level approaches to education funding should inform new federal reforms.
Listen to this article

This month, House Republicans advanced legislation that has the potential to dramatically expand education options for American families.  

The House Ways and Means Committee has approved a bill that would establish a $5 billion tax credit to create education scholarships and expand the allowable uses of funds saved in 529 accounts, giving families more options to pay for education costs. But Congress should consider ways to reform other federal education funding programs, to better align with the growing movement in states across the country to expand parental choice in education.  

At the state level, Texas recently became the latest to offer parents direct control of their child’s K-12 schooling through education savings accounts (ESAs). The new program will offer $10,000 to students to pay for private school tuition, tutoring and other education costs. More than half of America’s children will live in states with private school choice.  

These states’ innovative approaches to funding education should inform new federal reforms to use funding provided through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for 529 accounts, allowing disadvantaged parents to choose the right K-12 learning environment for their children.

Continue reading at The Hill

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