Oregon children deserve an education that helps them reach their full learning potential. With School Choice, families will have the opportunity to choose to direct a portion of their child’s education dollars to the education option that fits their needs. Those dollars, accessed through a School Choice Account, can be spent on various educational options, including private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, educational therapy, tutors, computers, transportation, vocational schools, and other approved educational costs.

A constitutional School Choice Account is a savings account, administered by a nonprofit organization chosen by the parent, into which the State will deposit a portion of a student’s Oregon education dollars. With a constitutional School Choice Account, parents may customize their child’s education and direct that the education dollars be spent on various educational options, including private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, educational therapy, tutors, computers, transportation, vocational schools, and other approved educational costs. Since it is created in the Oregon Constitution rather than by the Oregon legislature, families and private schools who use the funds in the constitutional School Choice Account will be protected from government regulation.

Every student! Any Oregon resident student who is eligible for enrollment or is already enrolled in an Oregon K-12 public school may choose to opt out of public school and request a School Choice Account.

Good news – your taxes wouldn’t be going up! The funding is already there. The money to fund the School Choice Accounts will come from the CAT, lottery, income taxes, and property taxes Oregon citizens already pay. The legislature allocates a portion of those taxes to be used for education. For students who request it, a portion of these taxes, on a per student basis, will be transferred to the School Choice Account. The remaining amount will still be used for public schools in the same manner it was used before. School Choice Accounts will not take any of the federal funds, levies, bonds, special grants, or statutory or special carve-outs that Oregon public schools currently receive.

Yes! Students attending public school would not eligible to receive a School Choice Account because taxpayer dollars are already used to fund their education at the public school.

No! All students are eligible, regardless of income or zip code. That’s the beauty! Goodbye artificial barriers.

School Choice allows Oregon education dollars to follow the student, and be spent on the schools and services that best fit the educational needs of the student. School Choice removes the barrier that restricts access to quality education based on where a student lives. Any student, regardless of income level or address, may choose to withdraw from public school and receive funds to pay for educational options.

Participating private schools will be protected from government control over the schools’ choice of curricula, creed, education practices, teacher qualifications and credentials, and admission policies. Participating private schools will be able to teach with the focus and in the manner that the schools believe is best for their students. Those private schools that choose not to accept funds from School Choice Accounts may continue to operate as private schools subject to control by the State.

A majority of credible school choice studies have found that private school choice raises test scores for participants and even improves academic outcomes for students who remain in public school! It can also result in smaller class sizes, less contentious school board meetings, and in some cases, more funds available to spend on students who remain in public school (since those who leave don’t take all their funding with them!) School Choice programs help the most important stakeholders in education: the students.

Students in rural areas need options too! School choice in rural areas actually increases opportunity for public and private school students. A study of Florida’s program (one of the oldest in the country) shows that school choice has worked in rural areas with the number of rural private schools doubling to meet the demand. Enrollment in both private and public district schools has increased simultaneously.

Every student is unique, but students with disabilities have the most urgent need for options that support their learning style. During the pandemic, many students with special needs suffered because they were denied the in-person education services they needed when schools were closed. With School Choice, parents of these special needs students could use funds in a School Choice Account to pay for special tutoring or therapies to get their child back on track. And with a School Choice Account, parents could customize the overall education for their special needs child by paying for private school, transportation, and technological devices geared to the needs of the student.

Those homeschool families who choose to homeschool using a School Choice Account will be considered a completely different type of homeschooler for legal purposes–they will become “Constitutional Homeschoolers.” Homeschool families who choose to participate will gain constitutional benefits and protections that they do not currently have. Participating homeschool families will be protected from government control over their choice of curricula, creed, education practices, and teacher qualifications and credentials. Participating homeschool families will be able to teach with the focus and in the manner that they believe is best for their children. Those homeschool families who choose not to participate may continue to operate as homeschoolers subject to control by the State. Once the taxpayer education funds go from the State to the School Choice Account at a nonprofit chosen by the parents, the funds STOP being public funds—legally severing the tie between the State and the funds. The funds may be used by families to pay for homeschool costs, such as curricula, tutors, education therapy, computers, without control by the State. The State will not be able to attach “strings” or “shackles” to the use of the money.

Student outcomes improve! A majority of credible school choice studies have found that private school choice programs raise test scores for participants and even improves academic outcomes for students who remain in public school. Many students are struggling because their school isn’t fitting the unique way they learn or doesn’t test in a way that reveals their true competency. That’s not their school’s fault. Our schools are doing their best. But these students need access to totally different school environments that fit how they learn. And many of them can’t access those options because of their family income or zip code. School Choice and Open Enrollment provide the solution that allows our children to realize their learning potential without giving up their individuality.

Actually, public education funds are for the purpose of educating Oregon students. Those funds should educate all students by giving them equal access to education options. Today, we have smart, capable students who are struggling in their current school simply because it’s not the right school for them. Imagine if those students had access to a learning environment that fit their needs?

Public education funds are for the purpose of educating students! A 2023 report from Oregon’s Cascade Policy Institute found that school choice can actually increase the amount of funds available to spend on students who remain in public schools. And in states with private school choice programs, studies show that outcomes for students in public school improve too! But the more important point is this — the public good is served when Oregon’s students succeed. Our students have immense potential. But sadly, many students aren’t realizing their potential because they’re in a learning environment that isn’t working for them. And they are barred from accessing other options because of artificial limits like their zip code, income, or learning style. With constitutional education measures, we’re giving every Oregon student the equal opportunity to access a variety of school options, including any public school that has space for them. When our students can access an education that fits them, we’re going to see some incredible potential unlocked that we would have otherwise missed. This is critical for Oregon’s future because it’s critical for our children’s future. Click here for more info.

Yes. Families may choose to direct their funds to a private school, online academy, or curriculum, which may be religious or non-religious. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that parents using a school choice scholarship at a religious school doesn’t violate the Constitution. Similar to someone who receives their paycheck from a government entity, the funds no longer belong to the State once they are deposited in the School Choice Account and it is the parents, not the State, who decide whether to spend those funds at a religious or a non-religious school.