Mar .
27
2025

Senator Lucas: Our Neediest Students Deserve an Opportunity Now!

by Derrick A. Max posted under Education, Education Reform, News

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To say that there is a crisis in Virginia’s education system would be a gross understatement. As the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s Hannah Schmid recently wrote:

“The 2024 Nation’s Report Card revealed 42% of Virginia fourth graders and 34% of eighth graders were reading at a below basic level on the national assessment. That means more than one-in-three Virginia students could not show even partial mastery of the reading skills necessary for grade level proficiency. In math, 24% of fourth graders and 37% of eighth graders scored below basic.”

This terrible performance is despite the extra $7 billion in direct aid to public education that Governor Glenn Youngkin has made since the pandemic — a 50% increase. Spending more money, for the same failing results, cannot be the answer.

Governor Youngkin, in the budget actions he returned to the General Assembly this week, reinstated his proposal to create the Virginia Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program — a bold approach to fund parents, instead of systems. This proposal represents a pivotal step toward enhancing educational opportunities for low-income families across the Commonwealth.

The Governor is seeking to restore $25 million of the $50 million he originally sought to use from the state’s General Fund to provide scholarships to students from households earning up to twice the federal income eligibility for free school meals. These funds can be used for private school tuition, fees, uniforms, textbooks, transportation, and other educational expenses, thereby broadening the spectrum of educational options to those struggling the most.

Over time, this will also unleash powerful market forces that will provide a plethora of private options, while also pushing the public schools to improve in order to compete. Governor Youngkin, by sending his opportunity scholarship language back to the General Assembly, is emphatically reinforcing his core belief that parents, not bureaucrats, know best what their children need.

This ought not to be a partisan issue. The roots of this program were planted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Annette “Polly” Williams, a lifelong Democrat. Miss Williams pushed and passed the first of its kind program to allow parents to use their educational dollars at the school of their choosing. Polly Williams, the longest serving woman in the Wisconsin legislature before her passing, was always quick to point out to critics from her own party that this was all about “empowering the parents.” What Democrat could be opposed to that?

Williams’ efforts to empower parents has now taken root in our neighboring states, including Maryland, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. In our nation’s capital, for example, parents can now choose from 37 private educational options that range from schools with an afro-centric curriculum, to dance and arts schools, to math and science academies.

Studies show greater parental satisfaction and higher student graduation rates since the program was implemented. They also show significantly greater overall outcomes for students in DC generally. Twenty-nine states have now joined Ms. Williams’ efforts to empower parents by implementing at least one school choice program in their states. It is time for Virginia to do the same.

The fate of this program will rest in the hands of Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and a member of the conference committee on the budget. Sen. Lucas has asserted that the Governor’s Opportunity Scholarship program will divert essential funds from public schools: “We will never agree to take money from public schools to provide vouchers for private schools. We know what it is, no matter what name is used to market it.”

However, the proposed $25 million for the Virginia Opportunity Scholarships is sourced independently and does not detract from existing public education budgets. Governor Youngkin emphasized that this initiative does not take “a single penny from existing education funding,” underscoring a commitment to maintaining robust support for public schools while simultaneously expanding options for families.

But this isn’t really about how much money is being spent on education, but rather, how the money is being spent. Take Florida, which spends about $4,000 less per pupil than Virginia, yet their student scores are higher than in Virginia, including scores for at-risk students from almost every demographic category. Whether measuring 4th or 8th grade math or reading, Florida’s low-income, black, and Hispanic scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are higher.

So, how is the money spent in Florida? The Thomas Jefferson Institute’s Chris Braunlich recently noted, Florida students can choose from more than 700 public charter schools (Virginia has seven), more than 154,000 Florida students learn on robust online learning platforms (13,000 Virginia students are in such programs), and Florida students can choose from any public school with space in any school district (Virginia does not offer inter-district choice). More importantly, more than 106,000 students receive an average $8,100 tax credit scholarship to attend a private school that better meets their individual needs and another 221,000 receive those funds directly from the state. Again, it is not how much you spend, but how it is spent!

Public sentiment appears to favor Governor Youngkin’s approach. A recent poll indicated that Virginia voters support the Opportunity Scholarships by a margin of 57% to 28%, reflecting a substantial majority in favor of increased educational choices for low-income families. This public endorsement suggests that constituents recognize the value in providing diverse educational opportunities and are supportive of measures that promote such diversity.

Governor Youngkin has conceded to much of the education spending demands made by the progressives — even in the budget amendments he just returned to the General Assembly. He is now seeking their support for a comparatively small ($25 million) but important new program to help those most in need to be empowered with the opportunity to choose where their children will go to school.

It is time for Sen. Lucas to trust parents with the option to choose a new school or to stay where they are (if they wish), before another generation of low income children is lost in our failing system.