February 14, 2023
The FreedomWorks Virginia Parents Know Best activist community urges you to support education savings accounts (ESA) for Virginia students. ESAs allow parents to withdraw their children from public district or charter schools and deposit public funds into government-authorized savings accounts to be used for education-related expenses. ESAs allow parents to maximize their child’s education and level the playing field for families who otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to send their children to the school that best suits their unique needs.
Ten states have active ESA programs of varying sizes and scopes. While any expansion of choice is a positive development, all students should have access to quality education. ESA programs are generally capped by income level or apply to only a fraction of students, such as programs specific to students with special needs.
Arizona changed the game this past year by implementing the nation’s first universal education savings account program. No matter their background, every Arizona child has access to quality education.
Allowing families to choose the school that best suits the needs of their children improves academic performance and the long-term success of students. The accountability that school choice brings also benefits the performance of public schools.
It is far past time Virginia joined the many states moving forward with education savings accounts and giving students a chance to succeed. These programs help low-income families send their children to a school where they can succeed.
For these reasons, we urge you to support education savings accounts for Virginia students.
Sincerely,
Adam Brandon
President, FreedomWorks
Laura Zorc
Dir. of Education Reform, FreedomWorks
