Alabama House committee approves school voucher-like plan

Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, stands on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives during a session on Feb. 8, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama House of Representatives’ education budget committee approved a voucher-like program for schools on Thursday morning. 

HB 129, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, passed the House Ways and Means Education Committee on a voice vote, a day after the bill was revised and discussed at length in a public hearing. 

The only lawmaker to speak on the bill Thursday was Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, who said that the legislation would not reach the kids who need it the most.

“I think it’s going to profit schools where those parents don’t need any help,” she said.

The legislation, known as the CHOOSE Act, would allow households with school-age children to claim up to $7,000 in tax credits to be spent on certain education-related expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring or education services for children with disabilities. The Legislature must appropriate at least $100 million a year, and the first 500 spots are reserved for students with special needs, defined by individualized education plans (IEP) or 504 plans, both aimed at children with special needs.

The program will initially be limited to families making less than 300% of the federal poverty line, or around $75,000 for a family of three. The money would eventually be made available to all students. The special needs-reserved spots are not limited to the income level.

Garrett said to reporters afterwards he hoped that the program would encourage other education options to open in areas where they do not currently operate. He said suburban and urban areas already have options.

“The hope is that in those areas, this will help facilitate some opportunity because it provides some funding to seed that programs,” he said.

Drummond told reporters after the meeting that her constituents were mostly in public education, and she thinks the bill is taking away money from poor children. Drummond also referenced the closing of a school in Sumter County due to the low student population.

“I don’t see where this plan is going to effectively educate any of those children and the fact that this bill has no accountability, it will be apples and oranges,” she said. “The public schools will have ACAP and the private schools, home schools, they will have their set of testing, so how will we know that those children are being properly educated.”

The bill moves to the House of Representatives.

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