The school choice movement could have a lot to look forward to next year with President-elect Donald Trump back in the White House.
School choice advocates are preparing for possible policy evolutions at the federal and state levels. They are preparing to push for an expansion of those policies, including tax credit scholarships, as part of a Republican Party-controlled Congress.
“I know there will certainly be a push in Congress for a federal tax credit scholarship for school choice,” said Ed Tarnowski, director of policy and advocacy at EdChoice The hill.
Vice President-elect JD Vance has been a vocal supporter of school choice initiatives and supported the Educational Choice for Children Act, a measure that incentivizes donations through tax credits to nonprofits that offer K-12 scholarship funds.
While Trump did not campaign heavily on school choice in his first term, it appears he plans to address the issue in his final term. In fact, he might consider it a win for his legacy if he can lend a hand pass legislation. When he nominated Linda McMahon for education secretary, he touted her mission to “fight tirelessly to expand ‘choice’ to every state in America.”
There have been some setbacks in educational freedom at the state level. Voters in states like Kentucky, Colorado and Nebraska rejected pro-school choice ballot initiatives. “The historical context is that these types of bills have never been passed on a statewide ballot initiative before,” said Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University.
Nevertheless, there is reason for optimism. If school choice advocates can effectively communicate the importance of giving parents more freedom to decide where and how their children are educated, it will only be a matter of time before people see the featherlight.
Despite being a red state, Texas has had difficulty implementing school choice measures. But Gov. Greg Abbott insisted the issue had enough support to move forward next year, saying, “Our job as Texas leaders is to ensure we provide the most effective pathway options for every child in our state.”
When announce Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said, “Access to quality education has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life forever.”
The bill has reignited partisan debates over school choice, with Democrats aggressively opposing it as hurting public schools. “This will not help the students in my district. For perhaps a few students it will be a lifeboat and for the vast majority of students remaining in our public schools it will be a Titanic,” said Rep. Justin Jones.
School choice activists in the Lone Star State are also there ready to take the fight next year.
The American Federation for Children, a school choice organization founded by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that invests heavily in state legislative races, said it spent more than $8 million in Texas’ primary and general elections to promote a voucher-friendly to solidify a majority in the state House of Representatives and support what could ultimately become the largest statewide school choice program in the country.
Abbott, the Texas governor, says he now has 79 votes in the House to support a voucher bill, three more than needed to pass legislation in that chamber.
“I made sure we got enough Republicans elected to the Texas House of Representatives to be able to pass a school choice plan, just like the Texas Senate has passed many times before,” Abbott said during a post-election press conference at a Christian restaurant private school, where he boasted of a “tidal wave of support” for the House candidates he supported.
Tennessee leaders plan to do the same push strenuous for school choice in the up-to-date year.
With key elements similar to unsuccessful proposals in the House and Senate last year, the newly filed Education Freedom Act of 2025 would offer 20,000 vouchers, each worth about $7,000 in taxpayer money, to students across the state to attend private schools while guaranteeing state funding to replace those gaps school districts have been left with by sinking enrollment, providing a one-time bonus of $2,000 for every teacher in the State and the establishment of a up-to-date state funding source for the construction and maintenance of school buildings.
If approved, the program would take effect immediately and operate $144 million in funding allocated in this year’s state budget specifically for a statewide school voucher program.
Several states, such as Arizona, have already passed significant school choice laws. The national debate about education is sure to come to the forefront as states begin their legislative sessions. If the school choice movement gains momentum enough, 2025 could be a pivotal year for educational freedom.
