Democratic governors must decide by year’s end whether to enroll their states in the first federal school choice program, a policy backed by Republicans that could funnel significant federal funds toward private and religious education. While 31 states—mostly led by GOP governors—have already joined, only two Democratic-led states, including Colorado, have signed on, leaving others weighing the potential benefits against concerns that the program could weaken public school systems. Critics argue the initiative risks diverting resources from traditional public education, while supporters highlight expanded options for families. The deadline looms as a key test of how far Democratic leaders are willing to go in reshaping education policy at the federal level.
Democratic governors face an end-of-year deadline to join the nation's first federal school choice program, a decision that could bring massive amounts of money to their states but which opponents fear could severely undermine public schools. Thirty-one states have opted into the GOP-passed initiative, but so far, that number includes only two blue ones: Colorado...
