Neither more nor less: How Pa. education spending can be different

State budget negotiations are full of false dichotomies. We are forced to choose loyalties between public, charter, or private schools. But is that really our only choice? While policymakers debate whether to spend more or less on education, perhaps we might ask, “How can we spend differently?”

Is there a means by which we can fund public education and empower families to make the best educational decision for their children?

I think of students like Daryl, one of our Logos Academy students, who needed a smaller learning environment in order to be successful. His grandmother used to boldly declare that the love and careful attention he received at Logos Academy enabled him to overcome his social and emotional learning challenges.

She firmly believed that the power of school choice changed Daryl’s life for the better. We can do the same for hundreds of thousands of other children by allowing families to find schools that best fit their learning needs.

For families with students attending the lowest-performing schools in PA, a Lifeline Scholarship Program would provide money that follows their children, whether they choose public, charter, or private schools. Each scholarship would offer families about $7,000 for approved educational expenses, such as…