SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — As federal lawmakers get ready to pass a new stimulus package, more details are being released about a proposed bill within that package that could give families access to thousands of dollars per child to put towards private education.
It's called the School Choice Now Act.
Essentially, if parents don't like what their child's public school is offering, they can use the money to pay for a private school, or even hire their own teacher at home.
"If schools do not reopen, the funding should go to parents to send their child to public, private, charter, religious, or homeschool of their choice," President Trump said Thursday. "The keyword being choice. If the school is closed, the money should follow the student so the parents and families are in control of their own decisions. I would like the money to go to the parent of the student, this way they can make the decision that is best for them.”
Nationwide, school staff, as well as students, have struggled with distance learning.
As a result, many families are now looking to homeschool, create student pods - hiring their own teachers, or send their child to a private school.
But, some don't have the ability to pay for it, which is where the School Choice Now Act comes in.
Introduced by two Republican senators, it would allocate 10% of emergency education aid towards scholarship granting organizations.
In turn, families could apply for a portion of that money, and be given potentially thousands of dollars per child.
“This is just saying have that 10% that's already allocated to education, have that tied to students and tied to their individual family sources to allow them to get back on track this fall," Corey Deangelis, Director of School Choice at The Reason Foundation said.
He said the bill would lead to better equity by giving all families access to whatever form of education they want.
And for those staying within the public school system, he believes they would benefit as well.
“Competitive pressures lead to better outcomes for those children as well because the public schools start thinking about what to do to keep children from leaving," Deangelis said.
But, some argue lawmakers should focus on the public school system first, saying it’s been underfunded for years.
"Before we are carving out special programs for private schools, we need to properly fund public schools that educate 90% of the kids in our country," Troy Flint with the California School Boards Association said.
Flint said lawmakers are trying to slice up a pie that's already too small, adding: they need to spend more time understanding the issue.
"I don't know if a relief package is the appropriate time to wedge in what is a major social policy change," he said.