States Win Big in Recent Victories for Education Freedom: ALEC on Just the News TV
The idea is to recognize that not every school or learning environment is going to be the best fit for every student.
ALEC Education and Workforce Development Task Force Director Andrew Handel joined hosts John Solomon and Amanda Head on Just the News to talk about a pair of victories in West Virginia and Arizona that go a long way toward protecting America’s Education Freedom movement.
Host: Andrew, you recently had a column in the Washington Times talking about new developments in West Virginia and Arizona over their new education savings account (ESA) laws. Can you tell us a little more?
Andrew Handel: In West Virginia, the state’s Supreme Court of Appeals took up a case aimed at halting the Hope Scholarship Program, a significant ESA program that allows 93% of students to participate statewide. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals overruled the lower court, concluding that the Hope Scholarship Program is constitutional and can take effect immediately.
In Arizona, opponents launched a referendum petition drive aimed at temporarily halting the Empowerment Scholarship Program’s expansion to all Arizona students until voters could have a say in 2024. These efforts were led by a group called Save Our Schools Arizona, which forced a referendum and defeated a previous expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Program a few years ago. This time around, SOS failed to gather the required number of signatures to force a referendum — a sign of the Empowerment Scholarship Program’s support among Arizona voters.
To listen to the full interview click here and go to timestamp 50:28.