A Maricopa County Superior Court judge last week rejected a lawsuit challenging Arizona’s landmark Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program, the first-of-its-kind private school choice program that benefits special needs children.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the ruling as a victory for parents, students, and education reform advocates. The lawsuit, brought forth by the Arizona School Boards Association and the Arizona Education Association, will likely be appealed, according to lawyers arguing on behalf of the program.

The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program grants education savings accounts to eligible parents of students with special needs. Parents can use those funds for a host of educational purposes, including tuition, tutoring, and school supplies. There are currently 142 students enrolled in the program.

“The real winners here are the parents and the children who are benefiting from this groundbreaking school choice program,” said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children.  “It is long past time for special interests to cease challenging laws that empower parents and give hope to disadvantaged children.”

In her ruling, Judge Maria Del Mar Verdin said that “the exercise of parental choice among education options makes the program constitutional,” also noting that ESAs allow parents to choose how and when all of the scholarship amounts are spent. Opponents claimed that the program violates the “Aid Clause” and the “Religion Clause” of the Arizona Constitution.

The victory is the most recent in a long line of successful court rulings in favor of expanded educational options. Last April, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Arizona’s Individual School Tuition Organization Tax Credit Program, and earlier this month, an Indiana judge rejected a lawsuit that aimed to halt the statewide voucher program.

Enacted last year, the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program is the fourth private school choice program operating in Arizona. The Grand Canyon State is currently one of only two states in the country with four publicly funded private school choice programs.

The article Court Rejects Lawsuit Against Special Needs Scholarship Program appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced on January 9 an expansive education reform agenda for the 2012 legislative session that is poised to significantly expand educational options through creation of a scholarship tax credit program for the state’s low-income families.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the governor’s plan, which places a strong emphasis on providing all children with educational opportunities, including  private school choice and robust charter and virtual school options.

McDonnell has long been a strong supporter of expanding educational options for children.  The scholarship tax credit program has also been championed in the legislature by Delegate Jimmie Massie and Senator Mark Obenshain in recent years.

“We’re grateful that Gov. McDonnell has included scholarship tax credits for children in low-income families in his 2012 legislative agenda. The Governor and legislative supporters are putting children first by offering hope to thousands of struggling students throughout the Commonwealth,” said Betsy Devos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. “The governor and legislative leaders have pledged to stand with parents and reformers to ensure that every child in Virginia has access to a quality education.”

Called “an effective choice” by the governor, the scholarship tax credit program would allow businesses to donate money to non-profit organizations that provide scholarships to children from low-income families to attend the school of their parents’ choice.  Last year, legislation for a scholarship tax credit program passed the House 54-45 before failing in the Senate.

In addition to scholarship tax credits, the education reform package focused on creating an “opportunity to learn agenda” through expanded charter and virtual school opportunities. These initiatives include making it easier for charters to form and operate in the state, ensuring local school boards make unused buildings available to charter schools, clarifying the funding formula so that funding “follows the child,” and allowing additional accreditation options for virtual schools.

Governor McDonnell also pledged to focus on raising standards of college and workforce readiness, reducing mandates on local school districts, and enhancing teacher quality.

Virginia residents have expressed strong bipartisan support for school choice, with 64 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of Republicans, and 66 percent of Independents favoring creation of a scholarship tax credit program, according to a 2009 poll conducted by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/vadot/

The article Virginia Governor Announces Education Reforms appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.