Education Savings Accounts Offer a Viable Path Forward for School Choice
The article argues that education savings accounts, especially when paired with eliminating state income taxes, are a superior alternative to tax-credit scholarships for expanding school choice.
In the wake of South Carolina's ongoing reduction of its state income tax, the state introduced the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program in 2023, which now distributes education savings accounts to thousands of children. The piece maintains that ESAs, when combined with the move toward eliminating income taxes, outperform tax-credit scholarship schemes in promoting school choice. By allocating money directly to families, the program allows parents to choose any school, fostering competition and potentially raising overall educational quality. The author frames South Carolina's approach as part of a national "golden age of school choice" and suggests that other states could replicate this model to achieve similar outcomes.
Why it matters
It shows how linking tax policy with education vouchers could reshape school choice across the U.S.
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