VIRGINIA, USA — On Wednesday, the Virginia legislature will convene its annual session and a proposal championed by the Commonwealth’s lieutenant governor will likely gain a lot of attention.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and Delegate Glenn Davis, both Republicans, unveiled legislation last week that would essentially redirect money the Commonwealth spends on a student’s education in a public school to new individual savings accounts, if a parent asks.
The "education success accounts," which could have anywhere from four- to six-thousand dollars, could be used to pay for tuition, and other education essentials, in non-public school settings.
"It’s just like your health savings account,” Sears said. “Where you put some money in and then you choose your doctor, and et cetera, it's the same principle.”
She said the proposal is based in her efforts to fight for parents who want more of a say in their kids’ education.
“This is our new Board versus Brown fight,” she said. “And, what is that, it was never about Black children being able to attend White schools. It was always about a parent being able to make the best educational decision for their child. So, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Critics on the other side of the aisle are already taking aim at Sears’ proposal, however.
Mayor Justin Wilson, D-Alexandria, says the legislation is just another attempt to defund public schools in Virginia.
"For far too long, the Commonwealth has actually underfunded local school divisions and the Commonwealth needs to be talking about how to increase the funds to our public schools to support our kids," he said.
Wilson, whose children attend public schools, said he believes the legislation still would not offer families enough support to get into most private schools, if their families wanted that to happen.
"The amount of money they would be diverting to these accounts is a few thousand dollars, which would not cover tuition at any private school in the city of Alexandria,” he said.
Wilson adds, if Sears’ legislation were to be passed, private schools would likely not receive adequate state oversight while handling public taxpayer funds.
“We’re imposing no standards,” he said. “Absolutely no standards.”
Sears said oversight would be set up if the legislation were to be signed into a bill. She said families could also rely on things like scholarships from private institutions, on top of the assistance provided by the saving accounts, to help fund their kids’ private educations.
“We are going to fight,” Sears said. “We are going to fight for our parents’ rights.”