CJ Reports: School choice needs bipartisan voices to grow, panelists say

Earlier this week, Carolina Journal’s Lindsay Marchello reported on a school choice panel and on panelist Joel Ford’s change of heart on the matter of school choice. Marchello reported:

Former Democratic Sen. Joel Ford used to be a critic of school choice, but his experiences as a father changed his perspective.

Ford said he wanted to give his daughter the best education possible, but too many schools in his district were either failing or underperforming.

In Marchello’s story, Ford revealed that, as a Democratic legislator, it was not always easy to support school choice. Marchello quoted Ford as stating:

Bipartisanship can be a lot like football, Ford said. When a wide receiver tries to go across the middle, he often gets hit, sometimes quite hard.

“In the political realm, for someone like me who goes across the aisle, that’s what happens to us as well. We get popped,” Ford said. “I’m doggone determined to find more reasonable people on both sides of the aisle on whatever issue. We just happen to be talking about school choice, where we can continue to advance it and empower families.”

This panel, cohosted by the Civitas Institute and the Cato Institute, included many other panelists including: Neal McClusky, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom; Anna Egalite, assistant professor for the N.C. State University Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development; Paul “Skip” Stam, former state House Majority Leader and attorney; and Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth.

Read their comments and see the full story here.

Let’s look further into the issue.

School choice provides an opportunity for children in failing school systems to secure a quality education – no matter where they live. With school choice, no longer does a family’s income or ZIP code control a family’s access to a great school. Options such as private, charter, and magnet schools give parents the freedom to ensure their children receive an education that works for them. Learn more about school choice in North Carolina here.