School Choice

Indianapolis, IN - School choice and educational reform were at the center of the budget fight, and in the end, the taxpayer and students won. This budget ends the unquestioned support of the failing public education system, and creates a spark for alternative educational choices to be created. The General Assembly passed a pilot program for online virtual schools, and created a $2.5 million a year tax credit for private schools. The destructive caps for charter schoolson charter schools have been removed, which may provide additional future funding through grants.

ATLANTA, GA -- Sweden, of all places, is enjoying the fruits of a school choice system. Although Swedes are a true cradle-to-grave welfare society, their reformed system of school choice is gaining a lot of attention abroad. The program came to be in 1992 when a conservative government briefly had power. While that didn't last long, their school choice system did – it was so popular among Swedes that the opposing party kept the program once in retained power of the government.

The system is easy ... you decide what school you want to attend. What a concept! These "independent schools" can choose their own teaching methods, staff and manage their own buildings. And since the program was instituted back in 1992, the number of private high schools has increased from 1.7% to 17%.