Christine Cooke Fairbanks

Although high-profile education choice legislation has already passed, legislators are pursuing additional bills to reward teachers and expand special-needs scholarships.

The microgrant created in HB 394 offers funds to pay for services or materials to supplement a child’s education but not to fund a parent’s choice of school.

HB 209 seeks to extend the same opportunities that district school students currently have to home-school, private school and online students.

Even with different education options, the majority of students are still attending public district schools. Policymakers should consider how to best support those students.

The legislation requires annual audits of individual families’ scholarship accounts, a suspension process for those who misuse scholarship funds, and academic accountability to parents and students.

Answers to questions such as: Why do we need this program? Are vouchers and education savings accounts the same thing? Didn’t Utah vote on this in 2007?

HB 215 reflects the best of Utah’s policymaking ethic: avoid making a zero-sum game of two important education policy reforms – and seek changes that serve the common good.

Modern private education choice policies include education savings accounts, vouchers, tax credit scholarships, tax credit education savings accounts, tax credits and deductions.

The COVID-19 pandemic left parents rethinking their choices about how to educate their children.