Gov. Glenn Youngkin has proposed an Education Opportunity Scholarship Grant — similar to what exists in 27 other states — providing $5,000 private school scholarships to each of 10,000 low-to-moderate-income public school K-12 students.
Regardless of outcome, the debate over empowering low-income parents to seek better education for their children is an annual event. In this year’s version, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, charged that such aid “widens disparities,” claiming that the funds wouldn’t cover the financial gap for private schools and citing Richmond’s Steward School’s high school tuition of $32,000. Sen. Mamie Lock, D-Hampton, similarly referenced the same point at a recent Senate Education Subcommittee meeting.
But in the words of a Northern Virginia jeweler, “Nobody pays retail anymore.”
The Steward School actually offers a variable tuition based on family income. A quick look shows more than two dozen private schools …
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Chris Braunlich is a former President of the Virginia State Board of Education and Senior Advisor and former President of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. He may be reached at Chris@thomasjeffersoninst.org.
