The South Dakota Catholic Conference supports House Bill 1020, legislation that would empower parents with more freedom to choose the type of education that works best for their children.
HB 1020 authorizes the creation of an “education savings account” (ESA) program. The state would deposit a portion of taxpayer dollars allocated for education (about $3,000 is proposed) into a parent-controlled education savings account, which could be used for specific educational expenses authorized by law, such as non-public school tuition, purchasing curricula for home education, and fees for online classes.
A total of 33 states have some type of program that empowers parents to choose non-public options for the education of their children, including 17 states with ESA programs. Numerous studies have demonstrated that students participating in educational choice programs achieve better academic performance, increased high school graduation rates, and higher rates of attendance and graduation from college.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught, “Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools. Consequently, the public power, which has the obligation to protect and defend the rights of citizens, must see to it, in its concern for distributive justice, that public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children.” (Gravissimum Educationis, no. 6.).