Homeschooling community asks for amendment to education savings account bill
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — A North Dakota bill to create education savings accounts for all K-12 students has some surprising opposition.
Some homeschoolers want the bill amended as it would make them susceptible to regulations where they are currently exempt.
They say SB 2400 adds to many more regulations to homeschooled families.
The education savings accounts could be used by families to pay for certain items, like tuition at a private school.
Other items include standardized test fees, meals and mental health assistance.
Those in favor of the bill say that it provides school choice while those opposed see it taking money away from public schools.
Kevin Boden, an attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association argued that the bill isn’t about school choice, but school subsidies.
“This is not about school choice,” Boden said. “Every North Dakota family already has school choice. This is about whether or not the taxpayers of this state will subsidize the choice that a parent either is already making, or wants to make in the future.”
The committee took no action on the bill.