Shaka Mitchell, a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, and Jaime Puente, Director of Economic Opportunity at Every Texan, dive into the heated debate around Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). They explore how these accounts allow families to customize educational funding while weighing the potential risks for public schools and equity. Personal stories highlight their advocacy journeys, and the discussion paints a complex picture of school choice dynamics, including the impact of COVID-19 and funding disparities in education.
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What Are Education Savings Accounts?
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) allow parents to direct government education funds to various educational options other than their zoned public school.
This shifts the control of education choice to families, rather than geography-based school assignments.
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Support for Expanding ESAs
Shaka Mitchell argues ESAs should expand because traditional public education hasn't adequately served every student despite continuous efforts.
He sees ESAs as a necessary differentiated approach to address varied student needs and improve educational outcomes.
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Concerns About ESA Accountability
Jaime Puente opposes ESA expansion, citing lack of accountability in private education using public funds.
He contrasts ESAs with charter schools, which have more government oversight, raising concerns about quality and equity.
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In March, we recorded an episode live on stage at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas. This disagreement is all about ESAs, or Education Savings Accounts. You may have heard of ESAs under a different name, like vouchers or school choice programs. Right now, 18 states have some sort of ESA program in place.
The programs are becoming more popular across the country, but should they be? What accounts for the increasing support for ESAs? What risks and benefits do they pose for students and families? Does the rise of ESAs inherently harm our public schools?
When we say ESAs, we are NOT talking about 529 plans or other college savings programs. We’re talking about K-12 education. These programs create a government-authorized savings account for families, allowing them to take some quantity of the funding that would have supported their child in public school, and use those dollars in the way they see fit: whether that’s to supplement private school tuition, parochial school tuition, tutoring, special needs services or for other educational purposes.
Shaka Mitchell is a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, an advocacy organization in the school choice movement. He has served in leadership roles at high-performing charter school networks, including Rocketship Education and LEAD Public schools in Nashville.
Jaime Puente is the Director of Economic Opportunity at Every Texan, an advocacy and public policy organization striving to expand opportunities for all Texans. He currently oversees their work on education. Previously, Jaime served as Legislative Director for members of the Texas House of Representatives.
This episode is moderated by The Disagreement’s co-host and co-founder Catherine Cushenberry.
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