Alabama Senate OKs Expansion of School Choice Vouchers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Day.News) — The Alabama Senate approved legislation Monday to broaden the school choice voucher program, building on the 2024 Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act. The bill increases access for families statewide, allowing more students to use vouchers worth $2,000 to $7,000 per child for private school tuition, tutoring, online courses and other qualified expenses. Senate Bill details were first reported by Alabama Daily News, highlighting the push amid ongoing battles over education funding in districts from Birmingham to Mobile.[3][5] The CHOOSE Act, launched in 2025 with a $100 million state appropriation plus $1 million for administration, already provides education savings accounts (ESAs) tiered by family income — up to $7,213 for the 2023-2024 school year based on the prior fiscal year's per-pupil allocation. This expansion aims to make the program more universal, echoing 2023 changes that opened eligibility to all students while prioritizing lower-income households with higher amounts around $3,200 to $7,200. Proponents, including Hoover Republican Rep. Susan Dubose, argue it empowers parents to choose environments like smaller classrooms or faith-based schools for special needs students.[2][4] The measure arrives as Gov. Kay Ivey on Jan. 17, 2026, signed Executive Order 742 to join the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program, effective January 2027. That initiative, from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, offers tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations funding K-12 expenses at public, private or religious schools — complementing Alabama Accountability Act recipients. Some lawmakers, however, question diverting funds from public schools, citing fiscal notes like the $288 million projected cost for a similar ESA proposal in 2024-2025, potentially rising to $576 million the next year.[1][2][4] With the bill now in the House, stakes are high for Alabama's 750,000-plus public school students. Supporters frame it as educational freedom; opponents fear impacts on underfunded rural districts like those in the Black Belt. Final passage could reshape school options by the 2026-2027 year.