It’s a temporary win, but a big one nonetheless.
An attempt by a coalition of teachers unions and public school activists to block implementation of Education Savings Accounts in Montana has been rejected by a district court judge Mike Menahan.
Montana House Bill 393 would allow parents of a student with a disability the chance to have access to an Education Savings Account or “ESA.” ESA’s are extremely popular with parents and are common in many states around the nation. Polling has shown overwhelming support across party lines and demographics.
The ESA in HB 393 allows parents who choose to sign up to access roughly $6,800 that can be used on education therapies, private school tuition and fees, textbooks, curriculum, tutoring, transportation, and other education-related expenses. It can be a tremendously helpful tool for parents who might not have the resources to help their child. Speech and occupational therapies alone can cost a family thousands of dollars each year – an expense many families cannot afford.
But the Montana Quality Education Coalition, made up of public school superintendents and union leaders from across the state filed a cruel lawsuit to stop the program.
They say allowing special needs kids to receive any ESA benefit will unfairly harm their work.
They incorrectly label the program a “voucher” and accuse parents who want further options of “privatizing education.”
This same organization also sued to prevent implementation of Montana’s new public charter schools. Their harsh assessment is that the only schooling option should be their system, regardless of whether it works for the student.
The group wanted the court to stop implantation immediately, even though few students have even signed up.
The court, however, said that wasn’t going to happen, noting that the long term “harm” to the group’s advocacy power doesn’t meet the threshold to immediately stop implementation.
The case will continue now, but Montana families who need more education options can breathe a temporary sigh of relief.