Opponents of school choice can’t be happy. The past three years have seen a flood of school-choice victories – and, ironically, we can thank two very “progressive” groups.
Two thirds of all states now have some form of private school-choice policies. Notably, 11 states have universal education choice, a policy no state had just three years ago. Even in states where school choice is still elusive, the dam is breaking. In Texas, opponents of education freedom were roundly defeated in the primaries this past spring.
What has transpired in these 36 months? As scholars who have closely studied and chronicled these developments, the only response we can give is that American parents rebelled against what happened four years ago.
So as people who fully welcome policies that liberate American families and leave them free to educate their children as they see fit, and not remain shackled to bad public schools set on indoctrinating their young children, we’d like to thank Black Lives Matter.
Yes, BLM.
If it weren’t for all the damage they have inflicted on society, we would consider sending handwritten thank-you notes to founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and the rest.
Without the chaos and violence created in 2020 by the BLM organizations — founded by these Marxists with the express goal of achieving systemic-wide societal change — combined with the radical gender ideology infecting local schools, parents maybe have been slower to demand an escape hatch to let them opt out of the indoctrination meted out in public schools.
They did, and the progress speaks for itself.
Of course, we don’t want to leave out the teachers&#8217; unions. Bless them, they also did their part.
The shutdowns they demanded were the first instance of public schools breaking faith with families; failing to reopen their doors long after we knew it was safe for them to do so. In rapid succession, parents saw the second instance: emergency remote learning gave them a window into what their children were being taught, raising red flags in school board meetings across the country.
States responded, giving parents the ability to vote with their feet. And vote they did. The number of children exercising school choice – using a voucher, tax credit scholarship, or education savings account – has roughly doubled from the 2019 pre-pandemic level to nearly 1 million students.
Today, 19 states have Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or ESA-style policies enabling families to choose schools and learning options that are right for their children. ESAs are accounts into which the state deposits a portion—usually 90 percent—of the money that would have been spent on a child in their district school.
The parents can use the money in the account to pay for private school tuition, online learning, special education services and therapies, tutoring, textbooks, and a host of other education-related services, products, and providers. And unused funds can be rolled over from year to year, and even rolled into a college savings account.
This year alone four states established ESA options: Wyoming, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. Louisiana went all-in with universal ESAs, opening up eligibility to every family in the state, regardless of income.
In Texas, up until this year, state legislators who call themselves Republicans had stood in the way of school choice programs out of concern for what it might mean for the district public school.
Well, this year the Lone Star State had elections. Six out of eight incumbent Republican lawmakers who had stood in the way of school choice lost their primaries or the runoffs.
This was a big win for Gov. Greg Abbott, who made school choice a hill to die on, and now more than ever looks like a reality in the Lone Star State.
If Texas finally adopts school choice, some 40% of all kids in the country would be eligible to choose a school other than their assigned district school. At that point, we can reasonably say that Milton Friedman’s vision of breaking the public schooling monopoly – some 70 years in the making – has come to fruition.
Which brings us back to how we got here. Four years ago, this country was caught up in one of its biggest political convulsions in decades, after BLM manipulated the tragic death of George Floyd to carry out their plan. We had weeks of rioting, burning, and looting.
As if the physical damage didn’t take enough of a toll, the stewards of our cultural institutions — our schools and universities, our libraries and museums, our theaters and movie studios, everyone involved in industries that create meaning and content — then capitulated and accepted as facts a number of falsehoods they should have had the confidence to dismiss.
America is systemically racist; white supremacy is the operating system of our society; the founding of America took place in 1619, when a group of Africans arrived in Jamestown, not 1776, when America’s founders signed the Declaration of Independence. These and other fabrications were accepted as facts.
The idea was to stain and destroy the idea of America. Rather than being conceived in liberty, everyone was told to believe that ugly racism and oppression was the post-partum reality.
Then there were the sexual delusions. Among these were that a man could become a woman or vice versa, or that children could be born in the “wrong body.” America circa 2020 thus fell into what can only be described as a moment of mass hysteria.
These ideas swarmed into our classrooms and children began to be indoctrinated into these hallucinations. Their purveyors intentionally targeted our schools, fully cognizant of the fact that if you capture a generation of children, if you interrupt the transmission of culture and facts and you change the narrative, you have created a new hegemony.
This movement had the wind fully at its back in 2020. The world was going its way.
But then something happened: parents and grandparents, especially mothers and grandmothers, started to fight back, a counterrevolution that gathered force in early 2021. They organized, went to school board meetings, and voted. They demanded the freedom to opt out of the frenzy. School choice was the way out.
They put pressure on politicians in states like Texas. And they voted out recalcitrant politicians standing in their way.
If you ask us, that is the reason why education choice has met the success it has.
So special thanks go to Randi Weingarten, Nicole Hannah-Jones, Ibram Kendi, and Robin DiAngelo. The school choice movement couldn’t have done it without you.
###
Lindsey M. Burke is the Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow and Director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation.
Mike Gonzalez is the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, <a href="http://www.heritage.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.Heritage.org</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Back to school. View from the back of a happy dad escorts his sons schoolchildren to school. Parental care for children

Thanks To BLM And The Teachers’ Unions, School Choice Keeps Winning

Thanks To BLM And The Teachers' Unions, School Choice Keeps Winning

Charter Schools

Education

Heritage Foundation

Opinion

School Choice

Schools

Teachers Unions

Texas

This week’s Democratic National Convention (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-convention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNC</a>) in Chicago featured a resounding theme: abortion-on-demand. 
A Planned Parenthood “mobile health clinic” was parked outside the convention, with staff members performing one abortion after another. Also, amidst pro-Palestinian protestors and the sea of convention goers, abortion activists parade around dressed in abortion pill costumes.
<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/19/us-news/planned-parenthood-offers-free-vasectomies-abortions-in-truck-outside-dnc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to the New York Post</a>, “Outside the van was a food truck, as well as a stand run by the Chicago Abortion Fund where patients could pick up goodie bags filled with face masks, candy, painkillers and cards of affirmation.” Organizers said it was all part of an effort to promote “reproductive healthcare accessibility.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1825595249642844509" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted on X</a>: “This is not your parents’ Democratic Party.” Johnson is correct.
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Such a callous—and even gleeful—celebration of the taking of innocent human life is a shocking new low.
This is not your parents’ Democratic Party. <a href="https://t.co/j4fnJk6olc">https://t.co/j4fnJk6olc</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1825595249642844509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
From inside the DNC, speaker after speaker declared the Democratic Party’s pro-choice commitment, which unfailingly brought about wild cheers from those in attendance.
Once espousing making abortion rare, <a href="https://time.com/7012534/read-hillary-clinton-2024-dnc-speech-full-transcript/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hillary Clinton’s message</a> on the first night of the convention urged attendees to “keep going” in the fight for “reproductive healthcare,” which has come to mean no restrictions whatsoever on abortion. Ashley Biden, daughter of Joe and Jill, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ashley+biden,+dnc+speech+t&amp;client=firefox-b-1-d&amp;sca_esv=ac285bda2199cac9&amp;sca_upv=1&amp;tbm=vid&amp;source=lnms&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjordGJsIeIAxUlDzQIHYzXBLUQ0pQJegQIBhAG&amp;biw=1278&amp;bih=877&amp;dpr=2#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:2bddfbd6,vid:gpwcb-o27w0,st:0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>, “This is the fight of our lifetime: our freedom, our democracy, our reproductive rights. This, all of this, is on the ballot.” The night ended with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/watch-president-biden-s-full-remarks-at-dnc-217506373669" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden’s speech</a>, which included, “You know, Kamala and Tim will do everything they possibly can — that is why you have to elect the Senate and the House — to restore Roe v. Wade.”
Night two wasn’t much different, as former First Lady <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z832P-efBaM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Obama warned</a> that Donald Trump would cut healthcare and take away “the freedom to control our bodies.”
Night three included <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArmhreqR2AI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nancy Pelosi commending</a> Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ policy of “fighting for a woman’s right to choose.” Later in the evening, when vice presidential nominee Tim Walz took his turn on the stage, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArmhreqR2AI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he fumed</a> that if his opponents get elected they “will ban abortion across this country, with or without Congress.”
Clearly, the Democratic Party is all about the right to choose — to be clear, to choose an abortion that ends the life of an unborn child.
However, when it comes to the right for parents to choose a K-12 education for a child, that is not a freedom the party’s leaders care about — even those who attended a private school themselves or sent their children to a private school.
And it’s not just that they’re not enthusiastic about school choice. Beholden to teachers unions, whose primary objective is to protect union jobs, Democratic Party politicians often do everything in their power to block Americans from the right to choose a school for their children. This even includes preventing families from choosing a different public school within their school district or a neighboring school district. The quality of the education, the safety of students, or the ability of the school to meet the learner’s unique needs are irrelevant. In short, the option to choose a school isn’t considered a right by leaders of the “pro-choice” party.
Of course, this flies in the face of what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwLmOI6r_XY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barack Obama declared</a> in his nightcap speech on day two of the DNC about the Democratic Party having “a broader idea of freedom” than their political opponents. How can a broader view of freedom include requiring parents to send their children to a failing government-run school for their 13 years of education? How can a broader view of freedom determine that parents can’t be trusted to select the best learning environment for their children? Evidently, the broader idea of freedom is limited to a woman’s choosing to end her child’s life up to the moment of birth.
The contrast with the <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 Republican Party Platform</a>, released in July, is stark: “Republicans believe families should be empowered to choose the best education for their children. We support Universal School Choice in every State in America. We will expand 529 Education Savings Accounts and support Homeschooling Families equally.” 
The <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commitment</a> to “restore Parental Rights in Education” isn’t just hyperbole. Republican governors and state level elected officials have proven over the past four years their commitment to allowing parents the right to choose the education for their children. 
The COVID response provided a powerful illustration of the difference between the two approaches. Teachers’ unions, in lockstep with Democratic Party leaders, kept public schools closed in some states spanning three school years in order to push irrelevant political demands. Conversely, Republican political leaders listened to parents’ concerns and took steps to advance school choice more than at any time prior in history.
While no states had anywhere close to universal school choice prior to the COVID school closures, today 12 states have enacted universal school choice, allowing all families statewide to choose the education that will best serve their children. Each of those universal school choice laws went into effect in states that at the time had a Republican governor, a Republican majority in the House, and a Republican majority in the Senate (other than North Carolina, where the Republican majority House and Republican majority Senate were able to override the Democratic governor’s veto).
It’s time for all states to recognize parents have the right to choose their children’s education. The two major political parties have made their priorities on “choice” very clear. The choice now is yours as a voter. What kind of right to choose will you choose?
* * *
Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and Director of the American Center for Transforming Education.
The view expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Day One Of The 2024 Democratic National Convention

Democrats Are Pro-Choice — But Not When It Comes To Schools

Abortion

Democratic National Convention

Democratic Party

Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden

Michelle Obama

Readers Pass

Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz, a former public school teacher who has called for putting tampons in boys&#8217; bathrooms, has vehemently attacked school choice, calling actions to support such policies “schemes.”
One year ago, in August 2023, Walz traveled to Iowa, where he ripped GOP Governor Kim Reynolds’ school choice program, Alpha News reported.
“Whenever you come up with one of these schemes — and that’s exactly what they are — to transfer wealth to folks on the backs of these students, we already know that we’re going to underfund public schools that are already underfunded,” Walz <a href="https://alphanews.org/walz-makes-second-trip-to-iowa-attacks-school-choice-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snapped</a>. “And we know that about 70% of those students that are going to receive those vouchers or whatever they’re calling them are already attending those schools. What we end up doing is subsidizing folks who are already attending private, religious schools, whatever it may be, or homeschooling, and it leaves our teachers in the short.”
“We know these (nonpublic) schools don’t have to take everyone and they’ll send kids back,” Walz claimed, then said there was “no data to support that those students are doing any better, that those schools are achieving any better.”
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722714742764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XzmEsRwzti1RFNuISwYgd">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
“Unlike their public counterparts whose academic scores have returned to that of 30 plus years ago, Catholic schools have not experienced such a decline over the same time period, with student academic performance post-COVID still higher than it was in the 1990s, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend assessments,” American Experiment, a Minnesota think tank, <a href="https://www.americanexperiment.org/catholic-schools-defy-sobering-academic-trends/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> in July 2023.
“Regents examination scores recently obtained by The Jewish Press under a Freedom Of Information Law request. These scores reveal that New York yeshiva students are outperforming their public school peers in the four core subjects of English, math, science, and history – by far. They show, for example, yeshivas earning 19 of the top 20 average private school scores in New York’s English Language Arts exam,” the Jewish Press <a href="https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/ny/regents-scores/2018/12/12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2018.
“You don’t want your child or your student to do something, then don’t let them do that, but don’t take away my freedom, don’t take away my child’s freedom,” Walz <a href="https://alphanews.org/walz-makes-second-trip-to-iowa-attacks-school-choice-program/">declared</a>. “Don’t enforce your views on all of us. And let’s be very clear about this. This entire agenda, this entire voucher agenda, is exactly about that, about not wanting to teach that, because I’m sure at these schools we may not hear the whole history of how things are happening. We may hear that it is OK to discriminate against some of our students.”

Minnesota Gov. Walz Meets With Business Leaders In Minneapolis

Former Public Teacher Walz Attacked School Choice: ‘Schemes’ That ‘Leaves Our Teachers In The Short’

2024 Election

Minnesota

Politics

Tim Walz

Despite making &#8220;tremendous progress&#8221; toward implementing a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-school-choice-come-to-tennessee-lawmakers-have-two-weeks-to-finalize-education-freedom-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school choice program</a> in Tennessee, Republicans ultimately failed to come to an agreement during negotiations on two different versions of school choice measures that had been put forward in the state&#8217;s House and Senate.
Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee, who had pushed for the state&#8217;s legislature to pass school choice legislation, <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBillLee/status/1782409052443508980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Monday that families &#8220;will have to wait yet another year for the freedom to choose the right education for their child.&#8221; The state&#8217;s 2024 legislative session ends this week, and a new General Assembly will be sworn in after the elections this fall.
&#8220;I am extremely disappointed for the families who will have to wait yet another year for the freedom to choose the right education for their child, especially when there is broad agreement that now is the time to bring universal school choice to Tennessee,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;While we made tremendous progress, unfortunately it has become clear that there is not a pathway for the bill during this legislative session.&#8221;
Lee&#8217;s plan, known as the “Education Freedom Scholarship Act,” looked to make scholarships worth $7,000 available for 20,000 students in the next school year. For the first year of the scholarships, those with low incomes would have access to half of the scholarships while the other half would be handed out on a first come, first serve basis. The plan would push for all students in the 2025-2026 school year to have scholarships they could use at private schools and charter schools and they would also be made available for homeschool families.
Lee thanked the leaders in both chambers of the state legislature &#8220;for their commitment to pursuing education freedom next year.&#8221;
The bills being considered by the state Senate and House contained major differences. The bill sponsored in the Senate by Republican Majority Leader Jack Johnson mirrored Lee&#8217;s proposal and added a requirement that scholarship recipients take an annual norm-referenced test approved by the state board of education. Meanwhile, the state House version of the bill — sponsored by Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth — was more strict in how the scholarships could be applied as they were designated only for use at private schools with limited use for public schools. The House version also did not include scholarships that could be used by homeschool families.
Lamberth cited concerns about fiscal responsibility for why the House bill included those major differences.
“We would expand as possible as we go forward. Here in Tennessee, we are always very fiscally conservative. We balance our budget every year,” Lamberth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-school-choice-come-to-tennessee-lawmakers-have-two-weeks-to-finalize-education-freedom-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire</a> earlier this month. “We are just very careful not to have a program that has no fiscal constraints on it. So the intention would be to expand this program down the road, but we’re going to start out with 20,000 students.”
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The school choice program was opposed by Democrats and teachers unions, but also by some conservative activists who say that school choice legislation could be fiscally irresponsible, introduce backdoor ways for the government to regulate Christian schools and homeschoolers, and fund education for illegal immigrants, The Daily Wire previously reported.
The governor, however, says his proposed program will empower parents and give all students better opportunities &#8220;to succeed.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s very simple — this is about every Tennessee student having the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their zip code or income level, and without question, empowering parents is the best way to make sure that happens,&#8221; Lee said.
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

Bill Lee

‘Extremely Disappointed’: Tennessee School Choice Bill Won’t Pass This Year, Governor Says

Tennessee School Choice Bill Dead For The Year, Governor Says

Republicans

Tennessee

Tennessee&#8217;s Republican Governor Bill Lee is determined to make his state the latest to overhaul its education system to embrace school choice, but with a deadline to get it done just a few weeks away, several hurdles remain. 
With two weeks remaining before the legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly comes to a close, lawmakers in the state House and Senate have put forward two very different versions of Lee&#8217;s proposed school choice measure, known as the &#8220;Education Freedom Scholarship Act.&#8221; Despite the differences, both legislative leaders and Lee tell The Daily Wire they are confident they will get a school choice measure passed, though precisely what it will look like won&#8217;t be known until the end of the session on April 25.
Lee’s school choice <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2023/11/28/gov--lee--legislative-leadership-call-for-statewide-school-choice--unveil-education-freedom-scholarship-act.html">plan</a> calls for scholarships worth $7,000 to be made available to 20,000 students in the 2024-2025 school year. Of the available scholarships, half would be reserved for poor people, with the remaining half allocated on a first come, first serve basis. The goal for the next school year would be for universal eligibility for all students in the state to use at private schools, charter schools, or for homeschool families. 
&#8220;A parent ought to decide where their kid goes to school and what they learn, and not the government,” Lee told The Daily Wire in an interview. “That’s what choice is really about: the government not deciding everything about a kid&#8217;s education in a state, but the parents deciding that.”
The House and Senate versions of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act have been working their way through committees over the last several weeks. Both versions set aside around $144 million for the 20,000 scholarships and do not automatically expand the amount of scholarships, meaning the cap would need to be lifted by future General Assemblies. They both also reserve 10,000 for lower-income students and 10,000 more broadly open for anyone. However, who and where the scholarships can be eligible depends on which version gets passed.
The Senate <a href="https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Amend/SA0630.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">version</a>, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, a Republican, closely mirrors Lee’s proposal. It would make the scholarships available for the 2024-2025 school year for use at private schools and for homeschool families, as well as allow students to choose their public schools. Additionally, the Senate version would require scholarship recipients to take an annual norm-referenced test approved by the state board of education. 
The House version, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, also a Republican, allows for the scholarships to be given out to Tennessee students for use at private schools. However, the scholarships have more limited eligibility, as it designates them only for use at private schools. Unlike the Senate version, they could not be used by homeschool families, and there is still limited choice for public schools. 
The school choice proposals have received the usual criticism from teachers unions, but have also received critiques from some conservative activists who say that school choice legislation could be fiscally irresponsible, introduce backdoor ways for the government to regulate Christian schools and homeschoolers, and fund education for illegal immigrants.
Lee said he understood those concerns about government regulation and said that there would be protections for homeschool families and private schools that participate in the program. Lee told The Daily Wire that he believed that &#8220;less government is better government” and that the goal of his legislation would be to allow parents to allocate their tax dollars toward the kind of education they want for their kids.  
The exact details about what safeguards might be in place remain somewhat up in the air as lawmakers negotiate the specifics of the education scholarship program. Parents and schools could also decline to participate in the program. 
When asked about concerns about the scholarship program introducing cumbersome regulations on private schools or homeschools, Johnson, the Senate leader, said the bill was an attempt to give parents more opportunity to choose how their children should be educated, and not an attempt to “take over” private schools. 
He said he would “fight tooth and nail any attempts” to introduce more regulations for private schools and homeschool families. 
Lamberth said the concerns about fiscal responsibility are why the House formulated the program the way it did.
&#8220;We would expand as possible as we go forward. Here in Tennessee, we are always very fiscally conservative. We balance our budget every year,” Lamberth told The Daily Wire. “We are just very careful not to have a program that has no fiscal constraints on it. So the intention would be to expand this program down the road, but we’re going to start out with 20,000 students.” 
On the issue of the eligibility of illegal immigrants for the scholarships, the House reserves the scholarships for citizens while the Senate version stays away from that issue.
Johnson said he did not want to introduce anything in the Senate version that would place the measure in danger of getting tied up in court. In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that states have to provide education to all children in the state regardless of whether they are in the United States legally or not. 
While there are still major differences still being debated, Lee said he was ”very hopeful and very confident” that a bill would make it to his desk. Johnson said he is “cautiously optimistic,” but acknowledged that the Senate and House versions of the legislation “do look a lot different.”
“Anything we can do to empower parents to make decisions that they believe are best for their child, we should do that, and that’s what this legislation does,” Johnson said. “For far too many families, because of their financial circumstances, they don’t have the resources or means to pick a different option for their kid, and so they are forced to go to the public school that they’re zoned for.” 
Lamberth said he felt good about negotiations, and said working out differences is part of the legislative process. 
Lee’s appeal for school choices comes weeks after Alabama <a href="https://spn.org/articles/alabama-passes-universal-school-choice/">enacted </a>universal school choice and the Georgia legislature passed a $6,500 education savings account program backed by Governor Brian Kemp (R). In nearby Louisiana, a school choice measure is making its way through the legislature with support from even some Democrats.
Lee has argued that his school choice push is part of the growing movement across America of parents demanding more accountability from public schools over the quality of the education and values being promoted by public school teachers.
“This is an awakening of parents across America to the urgency and the need to be more engaged in the options for their children’s education, and to know what their kids are learning, and to be more engaged to where they&#8217;re learning it,” Lee said
Tennessee has already rolled out education scholarship programs in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis through school choice pilot programs in previous years. Lee&#8217;s proposal would expand options for the whole state. 
Corey DeAngelis, an advocate for school choice and senior fellow at the Federation for American Children, told The Daily Wire that he would consider any bill expanding school choice that makes it across the finish line a win, but that a state like Tennessee should be able to get a broad measure passed. 
&#8220;Any school choice bill that expands opportunities for families would be a step in the right direction so either chamber&#8217;s version would be a win, but at the same time you have supermajorities in each chamber in Tennessee and you should be able to get full-throated school choice like they have in Arizona,” he told The Daily Wire.  
DeAngelis said Arizona’s school choice measure, passed by Republican Governor Doug Ducey, should be the north star for conservative states. It included explicit protections for private schools from government overreach, and expanded options for all parents with no income restrictions or caps on available scholarships. He said ideal legislation allows for all families, regardless of income or zip code, to take their children to any form of school — public, private, or home.
What Tennessee&#8217;s final version will look like and how expansive it will be is still being decided, but the pressure is on to satisfy both critics and proponents of the bill as lawmakers push to make Tennessee the latest Red state to enact broader school choice.

Tennessee Educators Gather In Nashville To Protest Proposed School Voucher Legislation

Will School Choice Win Out In Tennessee? Lawmakers Have Two Weeks To Finalize ‘Education Freedom’ Act

A speech from a Democrat representative in favor of a school choice bill went viral as the Louisiana House voted overwhelmingly on Monday to pass the measure, which now goes on to the state Senate.
Rep. Jason Hughes, a Democrat representative from New Orleans since 2019, gave a passionate speech from the House floor in support of proposed legislation that would create an education scholarship program for parents to choose alternative options to the default public school system. The bill <a href="https://legiscan.com/LA/rollcall/HB745/id/1421857" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the House 72-32 with 65 Republicans and seven Democrats backing the bill. 
“As I watch children in poverty, trapped in failing schools, who can hardly read, I&#8217;d be damned if I will continue to defend the status quo,” Hughes said in his speech, which was viewed over half a million times on X. “Too many of our children are dropping out, and then we wonder why we have to have a crime session.” 
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APPLAUSE FROM THE CHAMBER for Jason Hughes: 
&quot;I know the political ramifications for me for voting for this bill. 
But I don&#39;t need this $16,800 a year job bad enough to watch our children continue to live in poverty, trapped in failing schools, and not try to do something.… <a href="https://t.co/rgHSbo538A">pic.twitter.com/rgHSbo538A</a>
&mdash; Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1777481614873800788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I know the political ramifications for me for voting for this bill,” Hughes added. “But I don&#8217;t need this $16,800 a year job bad enough to watch our children continue to live in poverty, and trapped in failing schools, and not try to do something.”
“And in the event I&#8217;m not re-elected, this is what I know: my steps are ordered. This is what I know: my heart is pure. I came here to do tough things. I came here to make tough decisions. And I came here to put children first,” he said. 
Last week, Hughes <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/louisiana-democrat-bucks-party-voting-school-choice-bill-poor-kids-trapped-failing-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> alongside Republicans on the Louisiana Appropriations Committee to advance the legislation to the House floor. Democrats have historically been opposed to school choice proposals in part because of their strong ties to teachers unions. 
“I can&#8217;t close my eyes to the 67% of 3rd graders in public schools who cannot read. I cannot close my eyes to the number of kids living in poverty in our state that are trapped in failing schools,” he said. 
House Bill 745, known as the Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship Program, was <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/louisiana/article_9c9c0af2-f66f-11ee-b2b4-5f1e4cd0e84a.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">authored</a> by Republican Rep. Julie Emerson. It would create a three-phase education scholarship program starting with students in impoverished families before expanding out. 
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&#8220;This program will allow the money to truly follow the child and empower the parents to be able to choose the education that it is best for their child,&#8221; Emerson said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe this bill will shut down our public schools and nor is that my desire at all. I don&#8217;t believe there has been a single school closure in a state that has adopted an ESA program.&#8221;
If passed by the state Senate, Republican Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign it as he praised the House’s passage of the bill. 
“The Louisiana House just passed the Gator Scholarship Program! This is a major step towards ensuring school choice, and empowering parents to choose the learning environments that align with their values and work best for their children,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/LAGovJeffLandry/status/1777473881407701449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1777473881407701449%7Ctwgr%5Ea670631e402b5ded86dcd62da9de2c25578f4764%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecentersquare.com%2Flouisiana%2Farticle_9c9c0af2-f66f-11ee-b2b4-5f1e4cd0e84a.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Both Alabama and Georgia have already passed school choice measures this year and Tennessee is also looking to expand its school choice program as well as its legislative session winds down.

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Louisiana Democrat Votes For School Choice Bill, Says He Can No Longer Back ‘Failing Schools’

Democrats

Louisiana

U.S.

A nonprofit organization that provides <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education">school choice</a> scholarships to low-income children has seen requests from parents looking to move their kids out of the public school system nearly triple since state governments&#8217; closed down schools across the country during COVID.
ACE Scholarships, a group that advocates for school choice, has seen requests for scholarships increase from 12,311 for the 2021-2022 school year to 32,113 for the 2023-2024 school year, according to data shared with The Daily Wire.
“Every kid learns differently, so a one-size-fits-all education system, no matter how well-meaning, cannot accommodate every student. The soaring demand for ACE scholarships is a testament to the hope school choice provides for students and their parents. We are committed to helping students find institutions where they can excel,” ACE CEO Norton Rainey told The Daily Wire.
For this school year, ACE has allocated 14,090 scholarships for kids to go to private schools worth $42,660,935. The organization is partnered with 1,000 schools nationwide and helps out families that have an average family income of $56,000 and average family size of 4.7 people, according to the data.
ACE said that students for whom it provided scholarships tested 54% more proficient in math and 34% more proficient in reading than their public school counterparts.
“This historic demand for educational freedom should empower states currently considering school choice legislation in 2024 to act now. Every kid — no matter what state they live in — deserves access to a high-quality education that sets them up for a lifetime of success. We can&#8217;t let them down,” Rainey said.
Lawmakers across the nation, from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-governor-unveils-bold-new-school-choice-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> to Texas, have pushed for expanding school choice opportunities amid declining educational achievement and lagging test scores. A report released last summer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-for-13-year-olds-declined-to-lowest-level-in-decades-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> that math and reading test scores for 13-year-olds in the United States have hit their lowest levels in decades.
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While the Texas Senate passed a school choice measure in November, the Republican-controlled House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-controlled-texas-house-votes-down-school-choice-measure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot down</a> the proposal, which would have created a Texas Education Savings Account. An amendment to remove school choice from an omnibus education bill passed 84-63, with 21 Republicans voting for the amendment.
For this school year, ACE has provided 1,494 scholarships to lower-income Texas students worth $4,149,787.
The guiding <a href="https://www.acescholarships.org/who-we-are/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">principles</a> of ACE include that the “American public education system is flawed,” “free enterprise and democracy work,” and that “parents know the best education environment for their kids.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illinois-democrats-kill-states-only-school-choice-program">Illinois Democrats Kill State’s Only School Choice Program</a>

Close-up of a chair on a student’s desk inside a classroom in a secondary school.

Education Nonprofit Says Requests For School Choice Scholarships Have Nearly Tripled Since COVID

Public Schools

Tennessee unveiled a broad new school choice initiative this week.
Governor Bill Lee (R) <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2023/11/28/gov--lee--legislative-leadership-call-for-statewide-school-choice--unveil-education-freedom-scholarship-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the Education Freedom Scholarship Act on Tuesday at the Tennessee State Museum alongside Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). Arkansas adopted a universal school choice policy earlier this year.
Lee&#8217;s proposal would establish universal school choice for every public school student across the state.
Next school year, 20,000 scholarships would be available. Half of those would go to Tennessee students at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, who have a disability, or are eligible for the existing Education Savings Account pilot program.
By the school year that starts in 2025, all public school students would be eligible for a scholarship.
No bill has been formally filed in the legislature yet, but Lee <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/28/tennessee-school-choice-vouchers-gov-bill-lee-unveils-expanded-statewide-program/71714741007/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his office would work with the legislature on the &#8220;final details&#8221; when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
Families could spend their child&#8217;s scholarship money on tuition at a private or religious school, uniforms, technology, transportation, or home school expenses. Families can also spend the money on tutoring, after school programs, and SAT and ACT exam fees.
Lee also said the scholarship program would be funded separately from Tennessee&#8217;s Investment in Student Achievement funding structure for K-12 education.
Lee said Tennessee should do two things at once — strive to have the best public school system in the country and provide families with school choice.
&#8220;These two ideas are not in conflict, and conservative states across the country are proof,&#8221; Lee said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
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Lee added that he has &#8220;firsthand&#8221; knowledge of the benefits of school choice since his children have been in public school and private school and been homeschooled, and his wife is a teacher.
&#8220;We can all agree that every Tennessee child deserves a shot at success. Every student has unique needs and every classroom offers unique value,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;Parents know best and should have the freedom to choose the right education for their child, regardless of income or zip code.&#8221;
Sanders praised Tennessee&#8217;s school choice plan, <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/28/tennessee-school-choice-vouchers-gov-bill-lee-unveils-expanded-statewide-program/71714741007/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> it part of &#8220;an absolute conservative education revolution in our country.”
A wave of school choice bills have worked their way through state legislatures in recent years. Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/23689496/school-choice-education-savings-accounts-american-federation-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were all</a> successful in creating or expanding school choice programs.
During the pandemic, parents across the country became frustrated with school COVID restrictions and controversial curriculum content, <a href="https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/parents-are-pulling-students-from-public-schools-at-record-rates-students-covid-pandemic-remote-learning-homeschooling-charter-private-mountain-districts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading</a> many families to pull their children out of public school permanently.

Trinity Alps Unified School District

Tennessee Governor Unveils Bold New School Choice Initiative

Homeschooling

Private Schools

The Republican-controlled <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/texas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas</a> House of Representatives voted to reject a school choice measure on Friday, drawing the ire of Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/greg-abbott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Abbott</a>. 
The measure to create a Texas Education Savings Account was taken out of an omnibus education bill after Republican Rep. John Raney introduced an amendment to take it out, saying that it was an entitlement program. The amendment to remove school choice from the bill passed 84-63, with 21 Republicans voting for the amendment. 
&#8220;I believe in my heart that using taxpayer dollars to fund an entitlement program is not conservative and is bad public policy, period,&#8221; Raney <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_14793b12-85b9-11ee-8285-47ad47894109.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, according to The Center Square. KVUE <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/texas-school-vouchers-killed-education-bill-hb-1/269-86d6d02d-ef39-4a84-b863-baaad76eaeff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that most of the Republicans who supported the amendment were from rural districts. 
House Public Education Committee Chairman Brad Buckle, the author of the bill, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2023/11/17/fight-over-school-choice-teacher-pay-bumps-expected-to-roil-texas-house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during debate on the bill that Texas lawmakers had the opportunity “for the first time in Texas, give parents of the most vulnerable real options for a better future for their kids.”
Abbott has consistently called for school choice, and said that he was disappointed with the House vote.
&#8220;I will continue advancing school choice in the Texas Legislature and at the ballot box, and will maintain the fight for parent empowerment until all parents can choose the best education path for their child,&#8221; Abbott <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2023/11/17/school-choice-debate-sparks-heat-among-house-republicans/71585548007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Austin American-Statesman. &#8220;I am in it to win it.&#8221;
&#8220;The small minority of pro-union Republicans in the Texas House who voted with the Democrats will not derail the outcome that their voters demand,&#8221; he said. 
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick also criticized the decision, referring to the fact that the Texas Senate had passed school choice several times over the few years, including during the special session. Last week, the Senate <a href="https://www.tpr.org/education/2023-11-10/texas-senate-passes-legislation-to-create-school-voucher-like-program-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> a bill that would have allocated $8,000 per student in private or public school for education related costs. 
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that the Republicans who voted to take the school choice measure out of the education bill should be primaried. 
“The group of anti-parent Republican Texas State Reps. who voted today with radical unions over parents and kids to kill school choice should be on notice. Their actions today were completely shameful,” Cruz <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1725690928935940560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Parents in these districts will work vigorously in the primaries to defeat them. School choice advocates are coming for these State Reps.&#8217;s seats, and they&#8217;re coming HARD.”

Texas State Capitol

Republican-Controlled Texas House Votes Down School Choice Measure

Greg Abbott

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois">Illinois</a> Democrats allowed the state&#8217;s only school choice program to expire this week.
The Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program will sunset at the end of the current school year after Illinois legislators ended the fall legislative session on Thursday without taking action to renew it.
The $75 million program <a href="https://www.wbez.org/stories/illinois-controversial-private-school-scholarship-program-is-ending/849c1d35-b525-4dde-adbf-9147aa38a224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awards</a> an income tax credit to taxpayers who donate to scholarship funds that allow lower-income students to attend private schools.
About 9,700 Illinois students received scholarships last school year. The average family income for scholarship students was $45,000, <a href="https://empowerillinois.org/wp-content/uploads/EI_Y5_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Empower Illinois, the state’s largest scholarship granting organization.
Republicans and some Chicago-area Democrats had pushed to renew a slimmed-down version of the program for five years. The new version would have cut the program to $50 million, slashed the tax credit amount, and reduced the donation cap from $1 million to $500,000 as well as focused more on low-income students.
However, the majority of Democrats in the state House never backed the proposal, and Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, a Democrat, declined to call the bill to the floor.
On Monday, a group of Illinois House Democrats <a href="https://twitter.com/janschakowsky/status/1721674773669834859" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for scrapping the program, arguing that school vouchers &#8220;perpetuate and deepen the education inequities that plague Illinois&#8221; and complaining that many of the private schools are &#8220;run by religious groups&#8221; and &#8220;openly discriminate&#8221; on the basis of things like gender identity.
Meanwhile, hundreds of parents and others with signs reading “Save My Scholarship” rallied at the House <a href="https://www.wbez.org/stories/illinois-controversial-private-school-scholarship-program-is-ending/849c1d35-b525-4dde-adbf-9147aa38a224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during</a> all six days of the fall legislative session.
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Right outside the House Chamber!
SAVE MY SCHOLARSHIP KIDS OVER POLITICS CALL THE BILL <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisWelch_JD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisWelch_JD</a> <a href="https://t.co/hUZsBb8ZKD">pic.twitter.com/hUZsBb8ZKD</a>
&mdash; Illinois Freedom Caucus 🇺🇸 (@ILFreedomCaucus) <a href="https://twitter.com/ILFreedomCaucus/status/1722680484663017488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Republican House minority leader, Tony McCombie, promised to fight to reauthorize the school choice program next year.
“I think there is some things that we can do to make it a better program, a more effective program, that could serve more students as well,” McCombie said.
Teachers unions were the main opponent of the Invest in Kids program.
The president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers celebrated in a statement on Thursday, saying there is a &#8220;nationwide push to divert public dollars from our public schools.&#8221;
“Illinois lawmakers chose to put our public schools first and end the state program that subsidized private, mostly religious schools, many of which have discriminatory policies,” union President Dan Montgomery said.
Over the last few years, the school choice issue has taken center stage in several states.
Florida expanded its school choice program and has <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/florida-expanded-school-choice-defies-doomsday-predictions-as-tens-of-thousands-of-students-enroll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 90,000</a> more students enrolled in private schools and other alternative education programs than last year.
In Arizona, more than <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/2-arizona-school-choice-leaders-resign-as-controversy-over-the-program-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60,000</a> students have used the state&#8217;s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, a number that skyrocketed over the last year.

Parents Call For Childcare Subsidies

Illinois Democrats Kill State’s Only School Choice Program

Illinois Democrats Kill State's Only School Choice Program

Illinois

The American Federation for Children, which joined its political affiliates and allies to spend $9 million in the 2022 election season to back political candidates supporting school choice, is launching a super PAC called AFC Victory Fund to target state legislators who oppose school choice for students.
The organization <a href="https://www.federationforchildren.org/afc-announces-launch-of-affiliated-afc-victory-fund-super-pac/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a> that in 2022, it succeeded in 277 out of 368 races, “a 75% success rate that included the defeat of at least 40 anti-school choice incumbents.”
“Coming off our best election cycle ever, the tectonic plates have shifted decisively in favor of educational freedom, and we’re just getting started,” AFC CEO Tommy Schultz celebrated. “With AFC Victory Fund, we are taking our work to the next level, intending to invest at least $10 million in state-level races to ensure the interests of parents are represented at ballot boxes in key districts from coast to coast. With $6 million already committed, we are shaping up to have our best cash position ever ahead of the primary season.
“If you’re a candidate or lawmaker who opposes school choice and freedom in education – you’re a target,” he continued. “If you’re a champion for parents – we’ll be your shield. Especially when we see news that even teachers unions bosses are choosing private schools for their own kids, we are motivated to ensure all families have those options available for their own children, not just for the elected or politically connected.”
Ryan Cantrell, the organization&#8217;s director of government affairs, told <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/school-choice-group-launches-super-pac-target-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Examiner</a>:
<blockquote>
There is endless amounts of money that the unions have to fight to keep school choice from expanding even further, but that&#8217;s why AFC is excited about this [PAC] because it gives us more flexibility, it gives us more ability to have an impact on some of those places where the union grip is still too strong. This structure is going to allow us to scale up and be even more nimble, be more effective, than we have been previously.
</blockquote>
“Republicans, Democrats, independents, all agree that parents should have more options for their kids,” he continued. “And so that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re really trying to seize on right now — the majority of parents really want to see this happen.”
In 2020, as he was running for president, Joe Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1220182792304308225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;When we divert public funds to private schools, we undermine the entire public education system. We&#8217;ve got to prioritize investing in our public schools, so every kid in America gets a fair shot. That&#8217;s why I oppose vouchers.&#8221;

Library, books on table and background for studying, learning and research in education, school or college. Reading, philosophy and open, vintage or history print book, university blurred background

School Choice Group Launches Super PAC To Target Anti-School Choice Legislators

Super PACs

Tech entrepreneur <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vivek-ramaswamy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy</a> called for shutting down the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Education</a> and moving that funding &#8220;in the hands of parents&#8221; so they could have the opportunity to decide where to educate their children. 
Ramaswamy made the comments Wednesday during the first 2024 Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/2024-gop-presidential-debate-live-updates-as-eight-republicans-face-off-in-milwaukee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">presidential primary debate</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/milwaukee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee</a>, Wisconsin. More than $79 billion was allocated to the Department of Education in fiscal year 2023. Ramaswamy also advocated the end of local teachers unions, which have been a barrier to school choice and charter school initiatives. 
“We have a crisis of achievement. Let&#8217;s shut down the head of the snake, the Department of Education. Take that $80 billion and put it in the hands of parents across this country. This is the civil rights issue of our time,” he said. “Allow any parent to choose where they send their kids to school. End the teachers unions at the local level to allow public schools to compete, and then revive our national identity.”
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True “privilege” is not based on the color of your skin. It’s being raised in a stable family with two parents with a focus on education and a faith in God. That’s the ultimate “privilege.” As President, it’ll be my job to make sure we help every kid in this country be able to… <a href="https://t.co/1XFaFe6eao">pic.twitter.com/1XFaFe6eao</a>
&mdash; Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) <a href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1694541273015668815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Additionally, Ramaswamy said that high school seniors should be required to take the same civics test that immigrants must pass to become citizens. He said that the crisis in American education, as kids have seen declining scores in key subjects like math and reading, is partly linked to fatherlessness. 
“Part of the problem is we also have a federal government that pays single women more not to have a man in the house than to have a man in the house, contributing to an epidemic of fatherlessness, and I think that goes hand in glove with the education crisis as well, because we have to remember: Education starts with the family; and, the nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind,” Ramaswamy said. 
Other candidates had similar answers on the topic of education. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott also went after teachers unions. 
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“The only way we can change education in this country is to break the backs of the teachers&#8217; unions. They are standing in the door-house of our kids, locking them into failing schools, locking them out of the greatest future they can have,” Scott said. 
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TIM SCOTT says &quot;the only way we change education in this nation is to BREAK THE BACKS OF THE TEACHERS UNIONS&quot; <a href="https://t.co/9Jzw8axHjD">pic.twitter.com/9Jzw8axHjD</a>
&mdash; Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1694544388905464129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that Left-leaning politics were hampering education nationwide. &#8220;We need education in this country, not indoctrination in this country,” he said. 
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RON DESANTIS: &quot;We need education in this country, not indoctrination in this country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PDNs167lh1">pic.twitter.com/PDNs167lh1</a>
&mdash; Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1694540603948765611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The debate took place at the Fiserv Forum and featured eight Republican candidates. Notably absent was former President Donald Trump, who opted to do a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-tucker-interview-racks-up-massive-views-addresses-debate-skip-indictments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one-on-one interview</a> with Tucker Carlson that was released on X minutes before the debate began.

2024 Presidential Candidates Participate In Republican Primary Debate

Ramaswamy: Shut Down Dept Of Education, Move Funding To Parents To Allow School Choice

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