North Dakota Governor Calls for Universal School Choice in Bold Budget

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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum proposed universal school choice for families in his state during his budget address on Dec. 4.

Burgum has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of the Interior and a proposed new National Energy Council.

The governor vetoed a private school choice bill last year, saying it’s not going far enough. Now, he is advocating for education savings accounts (ESAs), which would allow families to use state funds for a variety of education-related expenses, including private school tuition and homeschooling.

“This is not about public versus private education,” Burgum said in his address. “This is about ensuring that every student has what they need to support a pathway to career, college, or military readiness. We recommend developing a program that drives an ESA forward to continue putting North Dakota on the map for serving all students—public, private, and homeschool.”

Last year’s proposed “educational reimbursement program” was passed by both chambers of the state legislature; however, it was unable to secure the two-thirds supermajority required to override Burgum’s veto.

North Dakota’s public education system has long lacked alternatives, including charter schools and private school vouchers. Supporters of parental choice in schools saw Burgum’s announcement as a major victory for these families’ right to choose their preferred educators.

Legislators will have to weigh the need for parental control over education against worries about financing and possible effects on public schools, so a debate is likely to ensue over the proposal.

In recent years, more states have implemented or expanded ESA programs, which is consistent with the national trend toward school choice.

Private school choice incorporates a range of methods for enabling funding to follow the child, such as vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarships.

To provide financial assistance to educational institutions that are not classified as typical public schools, those methods are employed. The idea of offering this option to all families, irrespective of their income, has gained traction in recent years.

In 12 states, universal school choice has been enshrined in legislation, and nearly 30 states provide some form of private school choice.

In neighboring South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s pick for the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, called for the creation of a school choice program for students, announcing an initial $4 million investment in the project that she said she hopes will become standard in her Dec. 3 state budget address.

“Good education starts in the home,” Noem said. “And parents should have the tools to choose what educational path is best for their kids. I am proposing that we establish Education Savings Accounts [ESA] for South Dakota students in this upcoming legislative session.”

Trump has made it clear that he is in support of the idea, and Jim Blew, who was an assistant secretary in the U.S. Education Department during the first Trump administration, expressed optimism that the new Congress will approve proposals such as tax credits for scholarships.

“The new members are all very clearly supportive of school choice, and I think that’s going to change the dynamics,” said Blew, who co-founded the conservative Defense of Freedom Institute.

According to Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, the president-elect is on board with school choice and plans to use his platform to promote the issue in the coming years.

Not all states are on board with the programs as measures that would have expanded state financing for private schools or provided certain types of school choice were defeated by voters in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Colorado.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.