OPINION: Montanans deserve a chance for school choice

Montana’s public schools do a great job for most students. But as every parent knows, children aren’t all the same. One likes to run; the other likes to sit in a corner with a book. One likes to play video games; the other prefers football. And while most may do well in public schools, there are some who do not. Unfortunately, nearly 2,000 students drop out of Montana schools each year.

So what’s the solution when one of our wildly diverse youngsters isn’t thriving in his or her public school?

Forty-two other states have implemented various forms of school choice. School choice refers to a broad range of policy proposals aimed at providing some diversity to the field of education. As great as Montana’s public schools are, it’s unrealistic to hold them to a standard where they have to be a perfect fit for every single child. Some children just need a different environment, and school choice is about providing options.

Jan. 24-30 is National School Choice week. It’s the time when parents, students and policy makers from across the nation celebrate the concept of a perfect educational fit for each and every child.

Here in Montana, the past year saw some very exciting progress on school choice. The Legislature passed Senate Bill 410, which allows a tax credit for donations by private individuals to private scholarship funds that can pay for students to go to private schools. This is exactly what school choice is all about! If our kids are struggling in a standard public school, then privately funded scholarships can help them afford alternatives that work. Lawmakers said, it’s working in other states and it can work in Montana, too.

Unfortunately, Gov. Bullock’s Department of Revenue threw a monkey wrench in the works. Claiming that the tax credits were the same thing as government spending, they argued that the bill was an unconstitutional appropriation of public dollars to religious schools. They then passed rules barring any religious schools from participating. That’s over 95 percent of the private schools in the state.

Fortunately, this issue has been litigated all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that tax credits are not appropriations and therefore tax credit scholarships are perfectly constitutional. Lawsuits challenging the Montana Department of Revenue’s actions have been filed in both state and federal court, and we anticipate a quick and decisive victory.

Another form of school choice is public charter schools. These are public schools typically emphasizing a particular discipline such as the arts, technology, science or a particular trade. Charter schools have more freedom to innovate, and are also held to a higher standard of accountability. Another cutting edge idea is Education Savings Accounts, where 70 percent to 90 percent of the dollars traditionally used to educate a child are put into an account to be used at any accredited school of the family’s choice.

Since we spend roughly $12,000 on average each year to educate a child in the public school system, these dollars add up fast. Average tuition for a private school in Montana is $5,500, and any ESA money left over can be spent on college tuition.

School choice has always been controversial. When someone has a monopoly, competition always looks scary. The end result, though, is that everyone improves — the public schools, the alternatives, and most of all our kids. Forty-two other states have school choice, and last year Montana became the 43rd. Join us as we seek to ensure that every child is allowed to find their perfect educational fit.

For more information visit montanafamily.org/schoolchoice.

Laszloffy is president of the Montana Family Foundation and former speaker pro-tem of the Montana House of Representatives. The Montana Family Foundation is a non-profit, research, education, and advocacy organization.