Global Courant 2023-04-12 03:24:06
Two weeks after the North Dakota House failed to pass a measure that would have provided free lunches to low-income students in public schools, the Senate passed a bill that would give eligible parents private tuition.
Under the bill passed Tuesday, $10 million in state funds would be allocated to parents for help with private lessons. A family of four with a household income of $150,000 or less is eligible for assistance.
Parents would receive about $3,200 for each child sent to a private school of their choosing, Mott’s Republican Senator Donald Schaible said, as he carried the bill on the Senate floor.
Proponents of the proposal said they wanted to help parents make choices to connect their children to schools that meet their unique needs — regardless of where they live, their financial status or special needs status. Opponents criticized it, saying that public dollars should be used for public schools, and that rural children would be at a disadvantage.
GOVERNMENT OF NORTH DAKOTA VETO BLOCKING THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE USE OF THE FIRST NAME IN THE CLASSROOM
The North Dakota Capitol tower rises in the background behind a stone sign, April 19, 2012, in Bismarck, North Dakota.
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“The town I live in is 50 miles from the nearest private school,” Tioga Republican Senator David Rust said. “There might be a choice for people in a big city, but there really isn’t a choice for people in a rural area, because there’s no access.”
The bill’s approval comes after House lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have allocated $6 million in state funds to children in public schools for meal support.
The failed bill would have given children a free lunch if their household income was at or below the federal poverty line — or $60,000 or less for a family of four.
Senate lawmakers passed the private school bill by a vote of 27 to 19 on Tuesday. The bill still needs final approval from the House and the governor to become law.
School choice legislation has become more popular in recent years. At least a dozen other states have considered similar legislation in what has emerged as a landmark year for school choice battles. Those states are Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas.