School Choice Bills Top List Of Education Opportunities This Session
‘School choice’ bills pending before Oklahoma Legislature
by Rick Green
Oklahoma has a program, which is being challenged in court, that provides money to help pay for children with disabilities to attend private school.
Now, two lawmakers want to greatly expand so-called “school choice” options.
Their bills would provide state money to parents to seek alternatives to a public school education for their children even if the children do not have disabilities.
Supporters see this as a way to empower parents to seek the best possible educational opportunities for young people without reducing per-pupil public school funding.
Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, who is backing one of these bills, said parents are in the best position to decide how their children should be educated. He compared it to decisions he and his wife made recently for the medical treatment of their daughter, who was diagnosed with cancer.