school choice program

Princess Moss, incoming president of the National Education Association (NEA), aims to shift union organizing to local affiliates. She replaces Becky Pringle and faces challenges like federal school choice programs and DEI restrictions. The NEA has 2.8 million members, mostly educators, with recent membership growth but still below pre-pandemic levels.

A new federal tax credit aims to fund school choice by reimbursing taxpayers who donate to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). However, convincing taxpayers to participate may require significant marketing expenses, with estimates suggesting over $300 per donor. The program, part of a Trump-backed tax bill, requires states to opt in, with most Republican-led states participating while Democratic governors remain undecided.

Rural Indiana students face limited school options under the state's school choice program, with fewer than 10% of rural counties offering charter or non-religious private schools. Counties like Brown, Crawford, Newton, Ohio, and Union have no alternatives, while voucher programs prioritize private education funding over public resources.

Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor, Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes, pledged to abolish school choice programs. A lawsuit by Law Forward challenges these programs as unconstitutional, citing insufficient funding to public schools despite current per-student funding. The article highlights historical context of Wisconsin's voucher program and potential impacts on 60,000 students.