Could an End to Funding Mean a Start to School Choice?

Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s voice still echoes loudly in Virginia and across the United States. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” But since 2019, the parents have been voting with their feet.

According to projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, public K-12 enrollment peaked at 50.8 million students in autumn 2019 but is expected to fall by nearly 4 million students—to 46.9 million—by 2031. That’s a 7.6% drop nationwide.

In Virginia that number is a little better—only a 2.7% drop.

The “bad news” is that with the green-lit dismantling of the federal Department of Education, Virginia stands to lose 11% of its school funding, or roughly $2.4 billion, according to EdTrust.org. But the good news is that means it will gain independence to explore new options.

In its recent report on navigating the education future, the Virginia Institute for Public Policy highlighted one such example: the Virginia Microschools Network.

What IS a “microschool”?

While most microschools look different, they generally share a number of traits, like personalized, student-centered learning and the combination of multiple age groups in the same classroom. Teachers can be parents or professional educators, and in general act as guides rather than lecturers.

Some states like West Virginia are trying to craft legislation to create government oversight for such microschools.

The Virginia Microschools Network provides support, resources, and networking opportunities to microschools across the commonwealth. The organizations that banded together to form the Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance created the network in 2019, designing it to help “education entrepreneurs” in the Old Dominion connect and access resources to support their microschools, to address the growing demand for personalized education.

The network aims to “assist parents, educators, and communities by fostering the development of microschools—small, flexible learning environments. These schools offer tailored curricula, often aligning with family values, and provide close-knit settings that can help children to thrive in a safe, caring environment.”

Should Virginia’s closely divided General Assembly look at setting aside their partisanship for a plan to foster ideas like this? According to the numbers, it would be a political winner.

Public opinion polling by EdChoice shows that just 33% of Virginians believe K-12 public education is on the right track, and just 43% of parents would choose a public school if given alternatives.

A 50CAN/Sygnal poll found that 61% of voters favor reforming the education system over increasing funding, compared to just 28% who prioritize increasing funding. That poll also found that 75% of Virginians support allowing families to choose public schools outside their assigned zone.

We’ve already seen this policy as a winner in gubernatorial races. Right, Terry? Next up: for the General Assembly to get on board.

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