Tennessee Passes School Choice – Will Texas or Wyoming Be Next

​Tennessee just became the 13th state to adopt universal school choice. The new program creates education savings accounts granting scholarships of up to $7,300 per student, which can be used for private school tuition, textbooks, transportation, and instructional materials.
 
It’s the latest win in the ongoing school choice movement sweeping the states. Already this year, two more states seem poised to take the plunge, while a bill to expand school choice nationally has new momentum in Washington, D.C.
 
In Texas, the Senate swiftly passed a universal school choice bill, SB 2. It’s now in the House, where Speaker Dustin Burrows believes the votes are squarely in favor of passage. President Donald Trump has spoken in favor of the bill. So have Sen. Ted Cruz and a Texan named Elon Musk, who wrote on X: "If kids only have one school option and it's bad, then it's like they never had a chance at all."
 
In Wyoming, a universal school choice bill passed that state’s House and is now one step closer to becoming a reality.
 
Why is this important to a First Amendment organization? PT1st believes the right of parents to choose their children’s schools is essential to their ability to transmit their beliefs across generations – an activity that is as close to the heart of the First Amendment as anything we can imagine. And as for “social justice,” school choice allows the children of the poor to attend quality schools that primarily serve the affluent. Americans agree that these are good outcomes, which is why all demographic groups and people from both political parties give school choice overwhelming support. A poll from September found that candidates who support school choice are more likely to win at the ballot box.
 
With all that in mind, Congress should follow the lead of the states and the will of the people. Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), and Tim Scott (R-SC) have the ball rolling by reintroducing the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), which would allow individuals and businesses to receive tax credits for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations that provide scholarships to eligible students for attending private or religious schools, homeschooling, or other non-public educational options. ECCA is a critical step in providing lifelines to struggling parents and children everywhere.
 
Sen. Scott, a die-hard school choice advocate, calls the school choice movement “the civil rights issue of our time.” He believes, as we do, that parents should be able to freely choose a school that fits their child’s needs and select an education that upholds their values. 
 
To date, school choice has mostly been propelled by Republicans. But there are now signs the blue wall of opposition to school choice is breaking. Democrats can’t stand athwart progress for much longer – particularly if they continue to alienate minorities who want better lives for their children.
 
That’s why we’re so optimistic about what else 2025 will have in store for families.

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