U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) this week announced he is co-sponsoring the School Choice Now Act alongside U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
This, according to a press release Alexander’s staff published on his website.
Alexander chairs the U.S. Senate Education Committee.
The bill, if passed into law, will give families more options for their children’s education, the press release said.
“All parents, regardless of income or circumstance, should be able to decide which school best meets their child’s needs, whether that school is public or private,” Alexander said.
“The School Choice Now Act provides scholarships to students to have the opportunity to return to the private school they attended before the pandemic—and gives other students a new opportunity to attend private school.”
Alexander said COVID-19 has affected children and how they learn.
“Many schools are choosing not to reopen, and many schools are failing to provide high-quality distance learning,” Alexander said.
“The students who will suffer from this experience the most are the children from lower-income families. This bill will give families more options for their children’s education at a time that school is more important than ever.”
The bill provides one-time, emergency funding for “scholarship-granting organizations.” These are non-profits that help students attend private schools in each state. The bill also provides permanent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for contributions to scholarship granting organizations, according to the press release.
Scott, in a separate press release, said he grew up in a single-parent home in a distressed neighborhood.
“I fully understand what it means to be overlooked and underserved. As a supporter of School Choice legislation, I am a firm believer that a child’s zip code should not dictate his or her access to quality education nor define the child’s future,” Scott said.
“We must ensure that all children have access to the necessary resources and opportunities – education included – to live a successful life. I’m thankful for the support of Chairman Alexander and hope that my colleagues will support our nation’s most vulnerable youth by passing this legislation.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Why is it that Alexander is just now making a grand play for the possibility of improved public education. He (and the feds in general) have done virtually nothing to improve education from the the time of the creation of the Department of Education. In fact I believe that it would be fair to say that Alexander and his DC partners have done a lot to dumb down and hurt public education. The best thing that could happen for education coming from The Swamp would be the disbandment of the Education Department. There are all ready enough liberals that state and local levels (including Tennessee) to perpetuate the rapid decline of education.
Amen!
School choice sounds great, but here’s the wrinkle: Private schools. Who is going to pay for the kids who want to go to a private school but can’t afford it? Private schools aren’t free. Answer: All of us. Well all of us who actually work and pay into the system. And when there isn’t enough tax money to send all these kids to the private school of their choice, they will raise taxes, yet again, to pay for it.
We spend more money per pupal, yet nothing every changes, but, gets worse. Has it downed on anybody that maybe the reason Metro schools are so horrible is because the last several mayors have focused on developing downtown and ignoring the suburbs? Raising taxes to the point where the middle class (those who can actually afford it) to move out to surrounding counties. What’s left after that? The poor. Fatherless children, broken homes, poverty, gangs, drugs. The breakdown of the family unit is the cause of this and many more social and economic issues people face in Metro Davidson County.
With the exception of parts of downtown and areas like Green Hills, Metro Davidson County suburbs are nothing more than a huge housing project. I’d like to personally thank all the Mayors of the last 20 years for help turning my home (Hermitage) from what used to be, a Brady Bunch type neighborhoods into something that more resembles Good Times.
John B, you’re right! But don’t you think that Lame-ar knows this? He introduced this Bill strictly to “feather” his bed as he rides off into the sunset on a gilded chariot, thanks to us poor tax paying troglodytes! Then, miraculously he’ll end up with several Board of Directors positions at some prestigious, hoity-toity, ivy covered institutions where they grow and cultivate new lib-tards. And then one of his political butt-shark buddy’s will suggest that we name a State park after him! GREAT, just what we need. A constant reminder of the poor decisions we’ve made at the voting booth!
We need a Constitutional amendment in Tennessee and the US, that prevents ANY public funds to be used to “name” or “rename” any publicly funded building, road, park or monument until at least five years after a person passes. Let’s stop all of this political “back slapping” and aggrandizing!
The teachers unions don’t want school choice because it effects their bottom line, they funnel a lot of money to mostly Democrats to avoid accountability that is demanded of charter and private schools. I agree with John it won’t go anywhere, and it should make people with kids who are trapped in failing schools angry. Collective bargaining is the reason you can’t get rid of bad teachers and bad cops:
https://issuesinsights.com/2020/06/15/democrats-accidentally-make-the-case-against-teachers-unions/
Alexander’s bill sounds like worthy legislation. And President Trump would probably sign the bill. The problem is the Dems in the U. S. House will not vote for the bill (so the bill is not going anywhere so long as the Dems control the U. S. House), and likewise, I wonder whether there will be enough Dem support in the U. S. Senate to reach the necessary 60 vote threshold required to do almost anything in the U. S. Senate. The teacher unions will almost certainly oppose legislation like this, and the teacher unions are a core constituency of the Dem Party. Legislation like this sounds like progress. But Dems don’t want real progress, Dems just want power.