California ballot measure could create nation’s largest school choice program

In a bold move, California school choice advocates are attempting to launch what could be the nation’s largest school choice program and amend the state Constitution to eliminate a ban on public money going to religious schools.

Supporters are collecting signatures to place the California Educational Opportunity Act on the November ballot. If they gather roughly 875,000 verified signatures by March 31, voters would decide whether to establish the Golden State’s first education savings account program.

The proposed universal ESAs would make every K-12 student eligible for roughly $17,000 in annual funding, equivalent to what the state spends per public school student. Parents could use the money for tuition at private or religious schools, homeschooling or other education expenses. Unused funds would accumulate and could be spent on college, vocational training and related expenses.

If approved, it likely would be the most generous ESA program in the nation and potentially the largest, since California has the largest population. Typical ESAs grant between $5,000 and $10,000 per student.

“California schools were once the best in the nation,” the Californians for School Choice website says. “Now, California schools are among the worst. We can do better.”

It blames rising costs for keeping children trapped in failing schools.

“In an era of high taxation, rising fuel prices, rampant inflation, layoffs and sky-high housing prices, parents have no choice but to remain in failing schools. But we don’t have to accept that as reality. This initiative will give back power to parents who just want the best for their children.”

The initiative comes after the state Senate Education Committee rejected a school choice bill from Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, early last year.

“We will not stop fighting for that choice,” Grove said at the time, and the initiative was unveiled shortly thereafter.

Dr. Kevin McNamee, a former mayor of Thousand Oaks, is leading the effort, arguing state dollars should serve students, not systems, and that poor and minority students suffer most in failing schools because they have fewer opportunities to find alternatives.

The proposal includes several accountability measures, such as the state administering the ESAs and paying schools directly, instead of giving the money to parents. Participating schools would have to be accredited or agree to administer national tests at least every two years to ensure academic progress.

The proposal would also eliminate the state’s Blaine Amendment, a provision in many state constitutions that prohibits public funds from going to religious schools. It also would protect religious schools from having to meet certain state requirements for teacher credentialing, curriculum and disciplinary policies.

California is one of just 15 states without a school choice program. Voters rejected similar proposals in 1993 and 2000, the Sacramento Bee reported, although national polling shows school choice now receives significant support from adults across the political spectrum.

Nationally, about 1.5 million students take part in school choice programs across 35 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. That number is expected to increase as states, including Texas, start or expand their programs – and a federal school choice tax credit rolls out in 2027.

The federal tax credit will be available to all taxpayers, but scholarships can only go to students in states that have opted in. While many red states will participate, Colorado’s Jared Polis is the only Democrat governor to indicate his state will opt in. Several others are considering it, and Republican legislatures are taking steps to force their states to participate.