Educational Saving Accounts for High School Students is Good Step

Utah State Representative John Dougall of American Fork

Rep. John Dougall, known in Utah legislative circle as an “ideas guy”* and “freight train“** for the breadth and creativity of the bills he’s carrying this year, had a great idea: why not let high school students and their parents pick the public school solution that best meets their educational needs?

It’s a step in the right direction, if just a small step.

Every once in a while, a good idea comes along. One such idea was that parents should choose where and how their children get educated, and if that type of education means taking them out of the public education system, the tax dollars should, with reasonable restrictions, follow to the school of choice.

In Utah, voters put the kibosh on the school choice/vouchers idea, and we have since returned to the perennial debate about how to improve public education centered on, primarily, paying more of the state budget to public education. Never mind that dollars per student has not proven to be a very good indicator of student success…

The idea is still out there, but in lieu of flaunting the will of voters, Utah’s legislators have opted to, so to speak, let that sleeping dog lie until interest shifts.

Meanwhile, we have Rep. Dougall’s step in the right direction. The bill, appropriately named HB123, would “require the state to put most of the money it now sends to high schools into education savings accounts for students in grades 9-12. Bill sponsor Rep. John Dougall, R-American Fork, said that could equal about $6,400 per student per year.”

Could making public schools compete with each other drive quality up?

Where could that money be spent? The student couldn’t just drop out of high school and allocate the money to parents to “home school” him. Rather, the money is limited to public institutions and select private, nonprofit universities (sorry, University of Phoenix). That means charter schools, public online schools, public universities (USU, UVU, SLCC, UU, SUU, and Dixie State), as well as, perhaps BYU (it’s private, non-profit and, frankly, it’s pure awesome sauce; however, it wasn’t named specifically, so I’m just speculating that it is included).

Because it only shifts where money is spent, the bill does not dramatically increase ongoing costs. The fiscal note indicates that there is a one time cost for a financial accounting system and an annual cost of $2,000,000.

Even with a low fiscal impact, however, Utah legislators aren’t ready to allow even such a small step. On Friday the House Education Committee narrowed the scope of who could use the education savings accounts down to just 11th and 12th graders. Because, you know, so much education happens during that last year of high school.

Despite how much the money may be lost on those afflicted with senioritus, it is a step in the right direction and gives the state the opportunity to test the education savings accounts as a pilot program. Rep. Dougall said

Because no one wants their kids living at home forever.

“I think we can have more faith in students and parents in this state than some believe we should have […] I think they’re much more capable and able to choose for themselves what education makes sense for them.”

‘Nuf said. Give the people who know the students best–their parents–the credit and the ability to choose where, and how, their children’s education is accomplished. No one has a better incentive to see that their dependents are well on the path to independence than parents. No one.

It’s good idea, and it’s a good step in the right direction. Take a moment and email or call your legislator to let them know that you support HB123.

[Salt Lake Tribune] [HB123 Fiscal Note] [HB123]

*Speaker Lockhart, Utah County Lincoln Day Dinner, 2011)

**Ok, that’s what I called him.