True school choice in Pennsylvania

November 10, 2022 | Sharon Sedlar

Choice is defined as “an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities”.  If the choices are personally palatable to you, it’s a great thing!  But what if you truly only have one “choice” from the two or the many?  If you choices for dinner are liver or tofu for example, which would you choose?  While both satisfy physical needs, for some, either “choice” is only barely palatable, and circumstances would force them to choose the option they need simply to survive. If you want a more palatable meal, you can have it – but you have to pay for it twice. 

And that is how we provide for education to children in Pennsylvania – take what the public education system deems necessary.  If you don’t like it, you have “choice” for another option.  But it’s not really choice when those options are limited to demographics, location, financial means, the ability of a parent to stay home or drive their children to the education option of choice – and it certainly isn’t true choice when additional payment is necessary. 

So – What is true choice?

The ability to choose the best educational option for your child without penalty.  For starters, that means placing the children in center focus and working out from them. 

• Remake the education system based on valid non-partisan research
• Pursue a wealth of educational options with established and appropriate funding levels
• Allow education funding to follow the child.
  • Remove zip code boundaries
  • Release the hold harmless clause
  • Establish education scholarship/opportunity accounts