A hot-button issue in the statehouse and among voters is ESAs — or education savings accounts — using taxpayer money to send students to private schools or support homeschooling. However, ESAs now face opposition from what many might consider an unexpected voice.
While supported among some conservatives and many school-choice advocates, ESAs aren’t universally supported even among ardent homeschool advocates.
Take FAIRSD for example. Families for Alternative Instruction Rights in South Dakota recently came out voicing strong opposition to any proposed program of the sort after watching similar bills across the nation.
“Within one to two legislative sessions, there are more regulations being put on those that take the money, and even those that are not taking the money,” said group president Lisa Fisher.
She self-identifies as a fiscal conservative and leads a pro-alternative education organization.
“In my experience, over 15 years of homeschooling when I have had a conversation with someone that’s maybe new to homeschooling, and they say ‘oh, that would be great. I would take the money.’ I say to them why did you leave the public school," Fisher asks in response. "Often, it’s what’s being taught, or they’re teaching to a test, or there was so much testing going on. What I always say is if you take that money, all those reasons that you left the public school are going to follow that money back into your home.”
She said it’s a matter lawmakers need to approach thoughtfully.
“We hope that our lawmakers will look at this really critically," Fisher said. "It’s interesting it’s often a lot of Republicans pushing for these dollars to be had, and I guess I feel like offering taxpayer money to individuals is not necessarily the solution to the problem. We need to look at how do we fix the public schools and let the independent homeschoolers and private schools continue to do what they’ve always done without the money.”
On the other hand, public education lobbyists often describe ESAs as an attempt to establish a voucher program for private schooling.