The shockwaves created by COVID-19 shutdowns continue to be felt throughout the education system. During school closures, parents were able to view firsthand the quality and content of their child’s education as it happened. Many walked away disappointed.
Parents began searching for viable alternatives to what they were witnessing. Withdrawal numbers skyrocketed. Homeschool pods and microschools increased in popularity. Parents were able to creatively find and provide these educational opportunities, but as Utah returned to normal, parents found this more difficult. Rising inflation, coupled with an already high cost of living and skyrocketing housing prices in Utah, put a strain on every family’s budget and limited the educational opportunities of most families.
This created an opportunity to finally—after years of effort—persuade the legislature and the governor to implement a scholarship program for every child—a universal education spending account. This means that all of Utah’s students qualify to participate in the program, enabling those selected to take their tax dollars elsewhere if government schools are not adequately serving them.
This program is not limited to private school tuition, like a voucher, but allows for a whole host of options like online learning programs, tutoring, microschools, early higher education expenses, and other approved customizable learning services and materials.
Parents can mix and match curricula and tutors, experts and experiences, to create a unique education program that is as unique as the student. This makes for better use of tax dollars; if people are going to be forced to pay for the education of children, better that that education be subjected to competitive market forces to find cheaper and better outcomes that produce a more informed and productive citizenry.
