Education Savings Accounts

School choice scholarship programs, which use taxpayer funds to support private education, primarily benefit students already in private or homeschool rather than public school families. Maria Contreras, a parent in Fort Worth, Texas, discovered a scholarship through her church to help her son with learning challenges attend a Catholic school as Texas expands its $1 billion education savings account program.

Microschool leadership is becoming more diverse, with over 40% of new founders in 2026 being Black, compared to 18% currently. Monette Mottenon, a retired educator, plans to open a microschool in Montgomery, Alabama, to address literacy gaps. State private school choice programs, like education savings accounts, now fund over 25% of tuition for half of all microschools, driven by new programs in Alabama and Texas.

Jeb Bush and Ryan Delk discussed the evolution of educational choice in Florida, highlighting its expansion from 80 students in a voucher program to over 50% of parents choosing schools. The conversation covered policies like Education Savings Accounts and the rise of microschools like Primer, emphasizing parental empowerment and educational entrepreneurship.