Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears is backing a pair of conservative school choice bills. But her support isn’t expected to be enough to overcome Democrats’ opposition.
“We’re talking about our future and we’re not going to stand in the way of a parent who wants better for their child,” said Earle-Sears
A long-time charter school advocate, the Lt. Governor spoke Wednesday before a crowd of students from a collection of private schools who lobbied legislators in the hopes of new funding from the state.
Spotsylvania County Delegate Phillip Scott is carrying a pair of bills that would offer that funding.
The first involves creating a tax credit for homeschooling or sending a child to a private school, though it's limited to families that make under 200% of the poverty line.
The second, called the Education Excellence for All Program, would allow parents making under 300% the poverty line to access funds currently allotted by the state to their student. Instead of the money going towards their expected public school, it could go towards a private program or support the purchase of home-schooling equipment.
Scott hadn’t yet gotten an economic impact statement on either effort, but he said some state money that currently goes to the locality would still end up there, minimizing its impact.
“It empowers parents to make decisions that best suit their educational journey,” Scott said.
But passage in the Democratic controlled chambers is unlikely.
When asked about Scott’s criticism of the current quality of state schools, Roanoke-area Delegate and House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul said many of those issues stem from a history of underfunding.
“All the more reason we need to make those critical investments in those public schools when you’ve got some children in our communities who need support,” Rasoul said.
Rasoul and his Democratic colleagues have instead promised to increase teacher pay among other initiatives that they say will aid the state’s public system.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
