Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Education Savings Accounts: A New Way Forward
By Grassroot Institute @ 3:27 AM :: 5504 Views :: Education K-12, Tax Credits

Education Savings Accounts: A New Way Forward

by Aaron Lief, Grassroot Institute,  June 20, 2016

Taxpayers in Hawaii spend about $1.8 billion on education every year, which is 15 percent of the annual state budget. To fairly distribute funding to each individual school, the Department of Education (DOE) uses a weighted student formula; in other words, the more students a school has, the more money it receives. However, if parents decide to send their child to private school or enroll their child in a home-based learning program, their tax dollars will continue funding the public school system, effectively forcing parents to pay for two separate educations.

Recently, Nevada became the 5th state to legalize Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) — a program which empowers families to seek alternatives to public education. Karen Gray, Citizen Outreach Director at Nevada Policy Research Institute, explained how the ESA program functions. “If a student, say, were to leave their public school because they moved to California . . . their school district would not receive that money from that student,” said Karen, “It’s the same thing . . . if the student goes into the ESA program, the money would go to the family.”

If parents choose to enroll their children in the ESA program, they are not limited to private schools or home-based learning. “Parents can use this money to pay for curriculum, they can buy textbooks with this money, they can pay for tutoring, educational therapies — it really is in control of the parents,” said Karen.

Although Education Savings Accounts are beginning to gain traction across the nation, few people in Hawaii are talking about the program. If you want to learn more, you can visit www.nevadaesa.com. This interview was recorded as part of The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii with Dr. Keli’i Akina, a radio show on KAOI 1110AM Maui. Listen to the full interview here:

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT