Election Results Set Stage For Further Expansion Of School Choice
There is much for both political parties to learn from the results of the 2024 election. The take-aways being gleaned involve political lessons, as well as many that pertain to policy. Such post-election analysis, however, often misses the mark. Take the November 6 Governing Magazine article, which reported that school choice “fared poorly” in the 2024 elections. Many would beg to differ with that conclusion, starting with Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) and millions of voters across the nation’s second most populous state.
Opponents of school choice are pointing to Kentucky voters’ decision to reject Amendment 2, a ballot measure that would’ve allowed tax dollars to go to non-government schools, as evidence of public skepticism about programs that expand school choice. There were many other results in the 2024 election, however, that contradict such claims. In fact, some outcomes from the 2024 election indicate that not only is demand for school choice high, the political salience of the issue is as potent as ever.
Nice mention of @WILawLiberty Here’s the ineluctable fact. Funding for public schools is on a long term and substantial upward trend in real terms. Choice does not “gut” public schools and, when controlling for the relevant variables, it generally delivers more. But no sector wars. We ought to focus on public and private schools that work and get more of that; rather than having adults engage in turf wars to increase their piece of the pie.
