The School Choice Amendment and the Open Enrollment Amendment were written with input from Oregon moms, dads, grandparents, public school teachers, private school teachers and homeschool families. In writing the Amendments we also consulted with public interest groups, school choice policy advisors, litigators, and constitutional lawyers from across America.

Oregon children deserve an education that helps them reach their full learning potential. With the School Choice Amendment 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 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 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.

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 won’t be going up! We already have the funding. 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. The Amendment 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 are 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.

Private schools may choose to participate in the School Choice Amendment and accept tuition payments from students with School Choice Accounts. 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. Click here for more info.

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 the School Choice Amendment, 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. Those homeschool families who choose to participate will gain constitutional benefits and protections that they do not currently have. The language in the Amendment prohibits the State from controlling a homeschool families’ choice of curriculum, creed, teacher qualifications, and education practices. 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. Those homeschoolers who choose not to homeschool using a School Choice Account may continue to homeschool under Oregon’s homeschooling laws. 

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. The School Choice and Open Enrollment Amendments together will 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 these two amendments together, 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.

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. The Amendment explicitly provides that, 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 are deciding whether to spend those funds at a religious or a non-religious school.

The School Choice Amendment has robust accountability while protecting parental freedom to customize their child’s education! It is very important that taxpayer education dollars are used for their intended purpose: educating students. The Amendment stipulates that dollars may only be spent on legitimate educational expenses, such as those we might see in district school budgets today – curriculum, transportation, or learning therapy, to name a few. And all education providers are directly accountable to the parents. If the parents are not satisfied with the goods or services that they receive from the participating education providers, parents are free to choose new education providers.

Families will be able to choose among many nonprofit organizations which nonprofit they want to administer their School Choice Account. Allowing families to choose a nonprofit organization to administer the School Choice Account rather than having the government administer the Account will ensure that the administrator is directly accountable to the families. A well-functioning school choice program needs an administrator that is nimble and responsive. Bureaucrats at government agencies have been known to erect barriers to competition. Nonprofit organizations, by contrast, tend to be staffed with people who are supportive of educational choice and are aligned with the success of the school choice program. The nonprofit organization will have the competence, incentives, and autonomy necessary to effectively administer the Account while providing quality service and accessibility to families.

There are at least 31 school choice programs administered by nonprofits across America. The most effective education savings account program is currently in Florida, where a majority of accounts are administered by the nonprofit organization Step Up for Students. Most nonprofits use an online platform that allows families to easily select desired educational goods and services, track their expenses and account balance, and learn from the experiences of other families via ratings of goods and services purchased through the platform. These online platforms also provide the needed accounting paper trail and tracking to ensure financial transparency and accountability of the education funds.

A constitutional amendment is the only method that will preserve the benefits and protections in the Amendments for students, families, and schools. Preserving the benefits and protections will provide needed stability for students and education providers!

A statutory measure could be repealed, detrimentally revised, or stripped of protections by activist legislators at any time. With no assurance that the benefits and protections will remain in place, many education providers and private schools refuse to participate. With fewer participating providers, the long-term viability of the program will be at risk and students will be limited in their choice of learning options.

The School Choice and Open Enrollment Amendments will ensure that the benefits and protections for students, families and teachers are available now and in the future. As Constitutional Amendments the education options that these Amendments provide will not be subject to the political leanings of legislators or governors. A constitutional amendment will provide stability and permanency to ensure that current and future students will have access to the full spectrum of education options.

The fun doesn’t stop when our two education measures pass in November 2024!

Thirty-days after the election, the measures will become law.

Then, we move to the implementation stage.

School Choice and Open Enrollment must be functioning and open for use by the 2025/2026 school year.

The legislature will establish the procedures that are necessary to ensure that the new programs work efficiently and responsively for parents and students.

Any rulemaking must further the goal of the programs: to enable expansive parental choice and the customization of student education.

While the Oregon legislature will be tasked with legislative implementation, the legislature may not change the words or intent of the two measures. 

Procedures must address functionality: 1) ensure all school districts provide the necessary information and forms on their websites, 2) efficiently process notices from parents, and 3) timely distribute payments to the nonprofit administrators.

While establishing procedures and rules, the legislature may not create excessive burdens or red tape.

For the school choice programs to operate successfully, parents must be informed about the programs and given clear information about how to sign up and participate in the programs.

Regarding the School Choice program, advisors can meet with parents to explain to them the many private, homeschool, and nonpublic online options that are available, how to connect with a nonprofit administrator, and how the funds may be spent.

Education Freedom for Oregon will keep Oregon families informed at every stage of that process.