Educational vouchers are a mechanism designed to give families the ability to choose an educational path for their child, by using public dollars and redirecting those resources towards non-public education. Sometimes vouchers are used to pay for private school tuition and other times they are used to pay for homeschool programs or opportunities.
While universal vouchers have not yet made it to Montana, we are on the pathway to their full introduction. Please check out what is happening in other states, like Arizona, that shows the pathway to universal vouchers is paved with legislation such as open enrollment, tax credits, and education savings accounts. All of these markers have passed in Montana. HB393, the education savings account for special education students, is still in litigation as Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC) has challenged its constitutionality.
We are predicting that a push towards universal vouchers will start with the 2025 legislative session. To that end, we believe it is important that voters have some background information and context.
