Legislation and a viral video follow Texas’s new school choice law, adding momentum to a national movement for promoting options.
School choice in the Silver State, and potentially the rest of the nation, recently got a huge boost from a 9-year-old art prodigy with a 170 IQ.
During a hearing for Nevada’s proposed AB 584 Educational Accountability Act last month, Juliette Leong of Reno told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that she performs high school math, won six national math competitions, performed music at Carnegie Hall, and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sales of her paintings to charities.
“And no school could accommodate my needs,” she said, “so I’m homeschooled.”
“What about a child with the same potential, except whose family cannot afford to homeschool? It’s not just about academics. It’s about unlocking talent, building confidence, and creating opportunities.”
Public comments were recorded, and state lawmakers left the Nevada Capitol in Carson City for the summer on June 2. The video went viral, creating a buzz ahead of the start of the coming academic year and the next legislative session.
AB 584 would add accountability measures for low-performing public schools while also creating a funding stream to make other public schools, charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling options available to students who are otherwise assigned to chronically low-performing schools. It also allows counties to establish new charter schools, according to the legislation, which has bipartisan support.
“This isn’t about pitting sectors against each other; it’s about embracing a pluralistic vision of education where public and charter schools alike are held to high standards and given the resources to succeed,” said a May 23 news release from the nonprofit Nevada Policy organization after the Ways and Means Committee meeting.
The Nevada State Education Association teachers’ union opposes the legislation, saying it fails to address “chronic underfunding, educator shortages, large class sizes, and lack of student supports.”
Texas became the latest and largest state in the nation to offer universal school choice after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2 into law last month. The $1 billion legislation established an education savings account program that can be used for private school tuition, special education services, transportation, and homeschooling expenses.
