Montgomery, AL – In her recent State of the State address, Governor Kay Ivey emphasized that the passage of the Creating Hope & Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act is her primary legislative focus for the current session. This legislation, which sponsors Senator Arthur Orr and Representative Danny Garrett introduced, aims to introduce education savings accounts (ESAs) to Alabama.
Governor Ivey expressed her pride in having Senator Orr and Representative Garrett lead the charge for the CHOOSE Act, emphasizing its significance in shaping the educational landscape in Alabama. The program outlined in the CHOOSE Act proposes offering up to $7,000 per child enrolled in accredited private or public schools through an ESA funded by a refundable income tax credit. Homeschooling families could also benefit, receiving up to $2,000 per homeschooler, with a cap of $4,000 for families with multiple homeschoolers, to cover eligible educational expenses.
The program, set to commence in the 2025-2026 academic year, prioritizes students with unique needs, along with their siblings, for enrollment on a yearly basis. The Governor highlighted the collaborative efforts involved in crafting the CHOOSE Act, incorporating feedback from legislators to ensure a well-rounded approach.
Sen. Orr commended Governor Ivey’s receptiveness to feedback, stating, “Because of this, I believe we have crafted school choice/education savings account legislation that addresses the needs of an important segment of the needs of our school children while preserving the fiscal integrity of our public schools.”
Governor Ivey and the Alabama Legislature, known for their fiscal conservatism, plan to roll out the program cautiously. Initially, eligibility will extend to families with an income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level for the first two years. Subsequently, in the third year and beyond, all Alabama families will be eligible, moving the CHOOSE program towards universality.
Representative Danny Garrett praised Governor Ivey’s proposal for providing parents with a tool that could positively impact their child’s educational future, taking school choice to the next level in Alabama.
The CHOOSE Act mandates an annual appropriation of $100 million to the CHOOSE Program Fund, with Governor Ivey already earmarking $50 million for the Fiscal Year 2024 Education Trust Fund supplemental.
The bipartisan support for the CHOOSE Act is evident, with Legislative Leadership, President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, and Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter co-sponsoring the bill. Pro Tem Reed emphasized the importance of giving Alabama families the ability to make the best decisions for their children’s education.
Speaker Ledbetter echoed this sentiment, stating, “After working with the governor’s office on the CHOOSE Act for the last year, I feel that we have come up with a strong piece of legislation that accomplishes just that.”
The CHOOSE Act aims to ensure accountability while preserving religious liberty and academic freedom. Governor Ivey envisions the program’s success as a catalyst to strengthen Alabama public schools, complementing ongoing initiatives such as the Literacy and Numeracy Acts.
