West Virginia school choice is coming

OPINION:

Legislative reform can often be tiresome and grueling. I was reminded of that reality this year in West Virginia, where I fought to pass comprehensive education reform. We had our opposition — like any great idea. But I am glad to report that school choice in West Virginia is on the home stretch toward being implemented to benefit everyone.

West Virginia Senate bill 451 passed the Senate in the regular session, but due to opposition’s spread of misinformation it was tabled indefinitely in the House. The governor then called for a special session of the legislature and again we tried to pass the Student Success Act. The opposition again occurred, but this time we had better information and cooperation which led to the House just recently passing its own version on June 19, which mirrors the major components of our reform bill.

The Senate will likely concur with the House bill. It took the West Virginia Senate to lead and pass this legislation twice in order to make it clear to the House what a priority school choice, local control, and empowering parents and teachers was for West Virginia’s future.

But the benefits of school choice should get everyone on board. Even some Democrats have been in favor of school choice during my time in the legislature. More should be in favor of it today. Instead, many want to stick to the status quo when they could be preparing a better future today. Even when U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin was governor of West Virginia, he pushed for school choice and received similar opposition to choice.

The House version of education reform doesn’t have everything this state needs. But it is very close. And with the fight ongoing for years, this is surely a victory and a great step forward for the state of West Virginia.

Let me tell you about my favorite three parts of the bill. And luckily, they are focused on decentralizing decision-making to those who understand the situations best.

First: The bill empowers those who most positively impact students — the teachers in the classroom. This is so important for West Virginia. Instead of decision-making authority in the hands of bureaucrats — who likely don’t know what is best for this or that school or classroom. But teachers know what is best, so let’s just give them the reigns.

Second: The bill lets counties make decisions about teacher pay instead of state bureaucrats. Counties are much closer to the schools and can hold the schools more accountable toward success. Once again, this decentralizes power from the top, down to the local. It also allows competitive wages so counties can pay to keep the best teachers, which is in the best interest of the students. Every student deserves a great teacher.

Third: This bill let’s parents decide which school in the county they want their child to attend. You would think providing parents this tool to decide what they want best for their children would be welcomed with open arms. But unfortunately, some schools don’t want to admit they simply aren’t doing as well as other schools. Competition in school choice raises all boats because parents become more invested in the success of their child at school, and the school becomes more invested in providing success.

Education reform and school choice are simply good ideas that have been a long time coming in West Virginia. This fight has been going on for a long time. I am proud to have helped usher in new and better systems for education in West Virginia.

• Patricia Rucker is a West Virginia state senator representing the 16th District. She is the chairwoman of both the Education, Education Accountability, and Children and Families committees.