The New Frontier In Parental School Choice

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy, profamily research and education organization dedicated to preserving the family and up from the studio here is John Rustin, Pres. North Carolina family policy Council, thank you for joining us this week for family policy matters, eternal pleasure to have Darrell Allison Willis on the program. Darrell is president of parents for educational freedom in North Carolina or PEF. NCP is a great ally and a great leader in the ongoing effort to expand school choice options for parents and children in our state.

Darrell in PDF and C were instrumental in the passage of North Carolina's opportunity scholarship program in a number of other educational initiatives and were so thankful for his leadership.

Darrell is with us today to talk about what many considered to be the next frontier for school choice in North Carolina which is the establishment of educational savings accounts were ESA's will be talking with Darrell about how ESA's work the benefits and what lies on the horizon for efforts to establish state-level ESA's in North Carolina. Darrell, it's great to have you with us again on family policy matters will thank you, Darrell, and we so appreciate working with you and the leadership let's start with the big question about this issue that were discussing today. What are educational savings accounts.

In this context, yesterday's where education savings accounts or state bonds can be deposited. Parents make use or prove educational parents get to decide how to spot Robin tuition, textbooks, tutoring or testing they are parent or child special needs budget worksheet educational therapy, etc. all of these options are available with ESA education account which only empowers parents will will were certainly supportive of that whole motion and let me say at the outset that the use of state-level education savings accounts that were talking about today are not to be confused with the federal Coverdell ESA for education savings accounts of the been established that allow parents to set aside funds tax-free for future educational needs of their children.

So these are a bit different in the structure of what were talking about on the state level versus what exist currently on the federal level, even though they share the same name in Darrell without input specific ways would state-level educational savings accounts promote more parental choice in education. Our tier toys widespread pro-choice education school services to open the door for true customization really allowed parents to create and develop individualized education experience based children astrology other day, John government gives family lot number of children and family and those families can leverage those funds to trust their child educational. All school models of the part of the process of a headache becomes what quality option will damage so I really see that as part of the future and how you think we have well it seems like a very common sense approach and is is you have pointed out, children have different educational needs on it was apparent to children myself. They are vastly different, and any parent of multiple children or teacher or anybody who's been around children for any amount of time. Think would readily testify to the fact that children are very different and that they do often have different educational needs in different areas that they excel in. In other areas that may be more challenging and being able to craft and structure and educational opportunity for those different children that will help to meet their specific needs is critically important, and who better to make those choices than those child's parents right John.well two girls roll it go that way it bothers right all counsel, who models it will educational plans which tell how much more the case for those children are in our state.

So it really makes makes a lot of sense, doesn't Darrell Lewis state-level educational savings account program how much funding would stay provided to parents and how much freedom would parents have to use those funds on the educational options that are best suited for their children buried by each ESA program generally like like proportion of bonds that would be allotted to talk about school at about anywhere about program specialty $2000 so there's a great deal of money. Tuition will improve expenses in Arizona, for example, tuition but they can also use it for testing tutoring along learning curriculum educational.

There program like some others say they don't use K-12 actually say that Alice was so essentially and go back to my question. Darrell actually what is happening here through a state-level ESA is that the tax dollars that parents put into the public education system would essentially be returning back to them, enabling them to use those funds as they see best fitted correct that correct and generally about that kind of thing. We had a portion of what would be allotted or child or family – children just come back that take money away from saving their well is not so important point that I want to discuss a little bit further with you Darrell school choice opponents often argue that ESA's will take money away from public schools and from public school students is that an accurate argument help our listeners understand how ESA's would actually work and in a way that is different than what we hear from the school choice opponents back thinking almost what I want to make us reframe how we look at this year for market shift and I compared the focus isn't necessarily school wall that it we can talk about that back allotted because we have children that attend traditional schools in Ghana, but just a few years here, John will have over 300,000 K-12 and educated nontraditional look at the numbers of homeschoolers. The public charter school enrollment as well as private school that really thinking about a paradigm shift that they get. I think take us there is also true, as you point out that you think that the potential state that there in the state money in the long term me about the left didn't speak a lot so no macro level in terms of how to K-12 education. They not only have a double providing family for Christmas nation utilizing the bears who models it. Traditional nontraditional child adequately look at governments really struggle with Social Security how to deal with all other budget items on Wednesday. Is there a way where you can customize education trajectory that were having less allocation at the same time be more efficient and more effective overall product. Well, when you look at our education funding system, K-12 education, public education in North Carolina.

Essentially public schools will get a base level of funding for a variety of different needs and then there is a funding per child that follows that child to the public schools and what were talking about here is you said is just using a portion or a percentage of the funds that are allocated for that child if their parents choose to move them to another school, another educational option that a portion of those funds are allocated for that student would follow that student to that other educational opportunity, while a separate portion would remain at the public school. So in essence, the public school is continuing to get funds that otherwise would have followed that child, so they're not losing either the base funding or a percentage of the funding, but then a cutout goes to seek another educational opportunity in a portion of the per child funds would follow that student to that educational opportunity know how many states already have ESA programs in place and what can we learn about those programs from the experience of those dates have a packed day program about that program that brought balance booms on children. Parents adopt children. Here is the commercial estate would be a great tennis. The bottom boat. They program started… Bottom open eligibility who had attended the public receiving here about his program is under court injunction as a board program now serves thousands of Mississippi begin a pilot program in 2008 activities probable launch in 2017. Lawmakers numbers of the states are considering or have considered ESA greatly thank you for that review of opportunity scholarship program is really flourishing in North Carolina and there are currently plans to expand it. And that's exciting. We see a lot of interest among parents and students all across the state.

Some of our listeners may be wondering, however, why we need educational savings account.

If we already have opportunity scholarships how these programs differ and what benefits would ESA's provide that opportunity scholarships may not be able to at this point.

Look back at program at our problems with special-needs program to get always say John that the reason why pack program in 2011 2013 at program 2011 we had a school with disability and felt like they needed additional options. Those families did not like it was out there and so with the induction of the program with now allowing families to be able to get a scholarship granted will of $8000 per year to be able to find that education model with proper school board box more means there and was able to use that for those children. The optic scholarship program. Yet we go back to the date from the part about that below income working class families that students know that when the public system was great disparity in terms of the moment Wally school of education and so look at the numbers that why were over 12,000 application is about 13 is a huge demand for working-class families that are looking for additional education option is the work.

So I think it's a wonderful time for education. Again, that new frontier. What is what it was.

Bruce choice look like the next bobcat years of you will also look at being the successes and challenges maybe another state minimize the weaknesses in back about the positive and maybe this is something that our state really get behind here. It will be a perfect complement to what we already have here on in K-12 education. What's next three essays in North Carolina.

Do you think we can expect to see a bill introduced in the Gen. assembly in the near future so that there was a snap or something else were disabled that building secure passage, but it won't support clearly have an educational choice and that will not only have more conversation around right when we look forward to that opportunity as we close, I will give you an opportunity to tell our listeners where they can go to learn more about your great work and the work of parents for educational freedom in North Carolina. God is our website. It got more to learn more about was out on ramping grant whether they would want program that was a lot of.com Olana.com thank you for that information and so much for your work promoting parental choice in education in North Carolina and for taking time out of your busy schedule today to talk with us about educational savings account. We really appreciate it. Family policy matters. Information and analysis, future of the North Carolina family policy Council join us weekly for discussion on policy issues affecting the family. If you have questions or comments, please contact 919-807-0800 or visit our website and see family.org