Ted Cruz to headline school choice event in Nevada

(The Center Square) – Texas Republican Ted Cruz is coming to Las Vegas.
The Club for Growth announced Friday that Cruz would speak at the second annual School Freedom Forum on Aug. 10.
The…

(The Center Square) – Texas Republican Ted Cruz is coming to Las Vegas.

The Club for Growth announced Friday that Cruz would speak at the second annual School Freedom Forum on Aug. 10.

The convention will likely be part victory lap and part call to action for school choice supporters. Several states have enacted laws in 2022 that have expanded the ways parents can direct their tax dollars to their child’s preferred educational circumstances, including neighboring Arizona. Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law an expansion of the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to all students in the state.

Meanwhile, Club for Growth said in its release that parental concerns over learning loss from months of remote learning, “liberal agendas being pushed in school districts,” and an increasing number of failing public schools had left parents fed up.

“During the pandemic, parents got an inside look about what is happening in our schools, and they didn’t like what they saw,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said. “School freedom has become the new centerpiece for principled conservatives, and we are honored to host conservative champion Senator Ted Cruz to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our country.”

Cruz called school choice the civil rights issue of the 21st century.

“Promoting school freedom is one of the most important things conservatives can do to improve the lives of families across the country,” he said. “The status quo is unacceptable. Every child deserves access to an excellent education. Parents need to be in charge of their own children’s education, not power-hungry education bureaucrats.”

Though school choice has increased in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains a target for supporters of education unions and public schools because they claim it siphons tax dollars they say are meant for the public districts.