School vouchers and private-school subsidy programs are emerging as a major issue in several governor's races this year, with Democrats betting that concerns about public school funding could help them win over suburban and rural voters. The debate is playing out prominently in five states: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, where candidates are clashing over programs that direct public money toward private education. While some are concerned that the programs divert money from public schools, supporters say parents should be free to direct education funding to the schools that best meet their children's needs.
Ahead of this year’s elections, it could become a decisive factor in competitive governor's races. Democrats are defending the governor's office while Republicans continue to support one of the nation's most expansive voucher programs as Governor Democrat Katie Hobbs faces Republican Representative Andy Biggs. Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program has universal eligibility and enrolled more than 99,000 students as of January.
Still, pushback on the programs centers around what they could be taking away from public schools. Florida operates one of the country's largest universal school-choice systems, and Democratic candidates have criticized the impact on public-school funding. Republican Representative Byron Donalds supports Florida's extensive school-choice system, whereas his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, former Representative David Jolly, has campaigned on improving public education and affordability issues and also criticized Republican education policies.
About 1.4 million students are enrolled in school choice options in Florida, more than most other states’ entire K-12 school population,” Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said when announcing that Florida would participate in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit in January. School vouchers have become a prominent issue in the open governor's race between Democratic state auditor Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn following the state's Students First Act, which expanded Education Savings Accounts statewide. The law called for a phased universal ESA program providing $7,773 per student.
Ohio's voucher programs have continued to expand, and education funding is expected to remain a campaign priority between Democrat Amy Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The implication for parents is that the outcome in their state will be set by a few dozen legislative races, many of them uncontested or decided by a few hundred votes.” Texas enacted its Education Freedom Act, creating a universal ESA (Education Savings Account) program worth roughly $10,800 per student. Democrats are likewise making opposition to the program a central campaign theme.
We know that our schools are cash-strapped. We know that schools are shutting down all over the state. We know that teachers are leaving in record numbers because they’re not being paid their worth, and that money would be better spent in the classroom.” While there is not much data available on which states have the biggest funding gaps between voucher and public school programs, these are some of the states with the largest amount of voucher funding available: Lisa Lightner, a special education advocate at Pennsylvania-based A Day In Our Shoes, told Newsweek that she questions the way vouchers are currently being presented in the U.S.
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