Military families deserve access to a broad array of educational choices, regardless of where they are stationed. Unfortunately, over half of military families live in states with no school choice options. In fact, a recent survey by Military Times found that more than a third of military personnel have considered leaving military service due to dissatisfaction with their children’s education.
Military men and women already make many sacrifices for our country. They should not have to sacrifice when it comes to providing a quality education for their children. Expanding school choice and putting parents in charge is the best way to ensure that military families can meet their children’s educational needs.
The Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act, introduced as an amendment to H.R. 5155, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, would do just that. It would establish tax-free Education Savings Accounts for military parents to fund their child’s education expenses. The cost would be financed by an existing federal program, the Impact Aid program, which currently sends federal dollars to district schools and then assigns military children to those schools. With military Education Savings Accounts, parents can decide how this money is spent.
IWV Senior Policy Analyst Patrice Lee Onwuka recently sat down with the bill’s sponsor, Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind), to discuss the legislation and the importance of providing school choice for children in the military.
You can listen to their conversation and learn more about how this bill will better serve military families here: