Last year, Alabama became the 11th state in the nation to pass a universal school choice bill. We established the CHOOSE Act to give more Alabama families the ability to choose the education that best suits their own child, plain and simple. More than 23,000 students across our state have received CHOOSE Act funds for the upcoming school year. These results certainly prove we are accomplishing our goal of giving more Alabama families a choice when it comes to their child’s education. No matter how the media or special interest groups spin it, these are remarkable results, especially for the program’s first year.
In year one of the CHOOSE Act, the household income cannot exceed 300% of the federal poverty level, so to put it simply, these education savings accounts (ESAs) are unlocking opportunity for families who may not have had that before.
Of the awardees this year, we have families who have determined that their child’s specific needs are not being met at the public school they attend, and the CHOOSE Act provides these parents the financial resources to choose a school that they feel better meets those needs…