Advocates for Education Freedom

Stop the PRICE Act Alabama!

Supporting private, church and home school autonomy

Call to Action!

On Wednesday, May 10th, the Senate Finance Committee heard public comments on the PRICE Act. Chairman Arthur Orr announced that an amendment had been added to the bill, capping funding at $50 million dollars. With zero discussion, the committee voted, 12 to 2, to approve the bill. Senator Orr commented that the proposal did not yet have his 'full approval' and indicated that further discussions would be required before the bill would move to the full Senate for a vote. Watch the Senate Education Committee public hearing, held on April 26, 2023. The House version of the PRICE Act bill has not moved out of committee.

Introduction

Across the country a push is underway to bring church, private and home schools under the control of government. The proposals sound attractive. Proponents claim that education money should 'follow the child'. Under these plans, taxpayers would pay for goods and services used by nonpublic school families. This is generally referred to as a 'public/private partnership' (PPP); that is, a three-way agreement between the state, parents and vendors. The initiatives are often called 'school choice’ – but the name is misleading: these programs do nothing to add choices but instead limit and restrict the choices that families with school-age children can make. As it is now, Alabama students enjoy unlimited school choices for K-12. Families can choose between free public schools, home school, or select from a wide variety of private school options. Presently, nonpublic schools are not subjected to government oversight, and the state has no control over the choices parents make for curricula or teaching methodology. This is true 'school choice,' and every effort should be made to protect this fundamental right. All of the government-funded school initiatives require new rules and regulations for implementation. There has never been any government regulation that increased rights! Regulations constrain and control choices. The definition of "regulation" is: "the act or process of controlling by rule or restriction." Any new law that would create new regulations for nonpublic education pose a threat to the current status quo. Legislative initiatives which propose to change existing law and replace it with new regulatory schemes -- such as the PRICE Act -- should be opposed. This website is devoted to shedding light on specific concerns, and focusing attention on proposed changes to education laws that will adversely affect school choices.
Download a copy of the RealSchoolChoice flyer markup here.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:11

Rebuttal to Eagle Forum

The Eagle Forum of Alabama devoted its website to promoting the PRICE Act. They acknowledge that no money will ever go to parents. Instead, the ESA fund would be managed by the Department of Revenue (DOR), using a 'digital wallet' payment service. Here's what Eagle Forum says about digital wallet:
This program helps federal, state and local government agencies administer programs more efficiently, and provides a seamless solution to ensure that funds are used for their intended purpose while virtually eliminating the risk of fraud, waste, or abuse.
In other words, the Department of Revenue will have perpetual, real-time access to and control over all transactions, and the DOR will use the collected data to monitor "fraud, waste, or abuse".
Instead of simplifying choices, the PRICE Act creates a government bureaucracy for parents and vendors to navigate. The net result is that the act limits choices and complicates the process of making purchases. The following comparisons highlight this fact.
current status vs the price act
The diagram below shows the current money flow between nonpublic K-12 student families and their vendors. The parent simply makes payment directly to the vendor and receives the agreed upon goods or services.
The next diagram shows the complex bureaucratic labyrinth that would be created under the PRICE Act. Tax money would go from tax payers to the Department of Revenue (DOR), which would then allocate funds to the Education Savings Account (ESA). The ESA would be managed by a third-party funds manager. The funds manager would invest the money and also allocate funds as needed to yet another third-party payment broker. Parents would request for payments to be made from the broker. The broker would first verify that the vendor was approved and in good standing withinh the system, then send payment. Disputes would be handled through the Advisory Board. Board decisions would be final. Money that is not spent would be returned to the ESA Fund.
Clearly, the PRICE Act would limit school choices, complicate purchases and, in general, interfere with the free market process. Contact the Eagle Forum and encourage their leadership to drop support for the PRICE Act legislation.

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