Americans for Prosperity pushes for school vouchers

SIOUX FALLS, SD (Dakota News Now) – The fight over school vouchers, sometimes known as education savings accounts, is coming back to Pierre.

This year, the push is being led by Americans for Prosperity, a nonprofit political advocacy group.

Jennifer Beving, assistant state director, says it’s all about educational outcomes and how each student succeeds. She argues that public schools are currently unable to address the needs of every student.

“We truly believe in reaching every child and ensuring they reach their full academic potential, regardless of income. We see that individualized education is really the way to go,” Beving said.

MORE: Education groups warn of a push for school vouchers in South Dakota

South Dakota is among the minority of states nationwide that does not currently have a voucher system. For this reason, there are other programs that can serve as examples.

In Iowa, the number of families signing up for vouchers exceeded projected amounts in both years, resulting in higher costs for the state.

“It basically means that there is such a great need and so many people are looking for alternatives outside of public school. I think this is an interesting lesson to see how many people want something different than what mainstream public school offers them,” Beving said.

Opponents of vouchers argue that it would be hypocritical for South Dakota to tout the need for more funding directly for teacher salaries and then deprive schools of a system that takes money away from them.

Iowa’s rollout of the voucher program has had its own growing pains. Private schools are facing growing numbers of applicants, and there is growing concern that costs at these schools could rise, undermining the benefit of the voucher system’s intent to help fund education outside the public school system.

Beving disagrees and says there could be a cap on the program to prevent it from spiraling out of control.

“Perhaps that means only a few thousand children per year will be eligible for this program in the first few years. You can create a lottery system. They could go based on the needs of the children,” Beving said.

One of the main arguments for vouchers is the cost. Advocates like Beving argue that a voucher system is the same as a student leaving a school district for another state. Their opponents argue that defunding public education while keeping those students in-state will deprive most South Dakota communities of their place in the population. Either way, the debate over school vouchers will flare up again in Pierre this legislative session.

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