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Suzanne Blake

By Suzanne Blake

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School vouchers and private-school subsidy programs are emerging as a major issue in several governor's races this year, with Democrats betting that concerns about public school funding could help them win over suburban and rural voters.

The debate is playing out prominently in five states: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, where candidates are clashing over programs that direct public money toward private education.

“Public schools are on low monetary reserves but at the exact same time, tons of parents are trying to get tax money through vouchers to pay for private schools instead,” Karen Aronian, education and parenting expert at Aronian Education Design, told Newsweek.

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“For student families, the next election will be significant.”

Why It Matters

School-choice programs have expanded rapidly in recent years, with many Republican-led states adopting universal or near-universal voucher and education savings account programs.

While some are concerned that the programs divert money from public schools, supporters say parents should be free to direct education funding to the schools that best meet their children's needs. Ahead of this year’s elections, it could become a decisive factor in competitive governor's races.

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States Where School Vouchers Are a Major Election Issue

Arizona

Democrats are defending the governor's office while Republicans continue to support one of the nation's most expansive voucher programs as Governor Democrat Katie Hobbs faces Republican Representative Andy Biggs.

Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program has universal eligibility and enrolled more than 99,000 students as of January.

Still, pushback on the programs centers around what they could be taking away from public schools.

“While private school vouchers do have a legitimate place in American public education, it must not ever be at the expense of the detracting from the quality and opportunity of students in the general public schools systems, the system that provided the foundation for public education in the United States to progress to become the leading public education system in the world,” William Hall, political science and business professor at Webster University, told Newsweek.

Florida

Florida operates one of the country's largest universal school-choice systems, and Democratic candidates have criticized the impact on public-school funding.

Republican Representative Byron Donalds supports Florida's extensive school-choice system, whereas his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, former Representative David Jolly, has campaigned on improving public education and affordability issues and also criticized Republican education policies.

“Florida families have access to the nation’s top ranked and largest school choice program. About 1.4 million students are enrolled in school choice options in Florida, more than most other states’ entire K-12 school population,” Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said when announcing that Florida would participate in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit in January.

Iowa

School vouchers have become a prominent issue in the open governor's race between Democratic state auditor Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn following the state's Students First Act, which expanded Education Savings Accounts statewide.

The law created a phased universal Education Savings Account program with benefits tied to Iowa's annual per-pupil public school funding amount. When the bill was signed in 2023, the ESA value was estimated at $7,598 per student for the 2023-24 school year.

“Iowa believes in empowering every student and family with world-class educational options, from our K-12 public schools to public charter schools, accredited private schools, and homeschooling, so they can choose the best place and path for their future,” Kim Reynolds, the Republican governor, said when announcing that Iowa would join the federal education tax-credit program in January.

Ohio

Ohio's voucher programs have continued to expand, and education funding is expected to remain a campaign priority between Democrat Amy Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

“The issue of school vouchers is actually determined in state chambers and in the Governor's mansion,” Caroline Welles, the executive director of The First Ask, an organization that works to elect first-time, female Democratic candidates to state legislatures, told Newsweek.

“Voters keep rejecting vouchers when asked directly, so voucher proponents will keep avoiding the ballot and working through legislatures. The implication for parents is that the outcome in their state will be set by a few dozen legislative races, many of them uncontested or decided by a few hundred votes.”

Texas

Texas enacted its Education Freedom Act, creating a universal ESA (Education Savings Account) program worth roughly $10,800 per student. Democrats are likewise making opposition to the program a central campaign theme.

“Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by government,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said before signing a $1 billion voucher program last year. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.”

Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative, has publicly criticized the placement of funds in the program.

“The money that is being spent at the Texas Education Agency is bureaucracy,” Hinojosa said in May. “It is not money that is going to the classroom. We know that our schools are cash-strapped. We know that schools are shutting down all over the state. We know that teachers are leaving in record numbers because they’re not being paid their worth, and that money would be better spent in the classroom.”

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Which States Have the Biggest Funding Gaps?

While there is not much data available on which states have the biggest funding gaps between voucher and public school programs, these are some of the states with the largest amount of voucher funding available:

Lisa Lightner, a special education advocate at Pennsylvania-based A Day In Our Shoes, told Newsweek that she questions the way vouchers are currently being presented in the U.S.

“All it does is take more money from public education and give it to people at higher income levels, who were going to enroll their kids in private school anyway,” Lightner said. “New enrollment rate due to vouchers is only around 10-13 percent. Most were already enrolled in the private school.”

What Happens Next

With governor's races tightening in multiple states, education funding and school-choice programs are likely to remain central campaign issues through Election Day on November 3.

Particularly in races in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, Democrats are largely arguing that voucher programs have diverted resources away from public schools while Republicans continue to frame them as tools that expand parental choice.

The outcome of those races could influence whether recently enacted voucher programs are expanded or will see additional oversight in coming years.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Dave Siminoff.

Correction 9/11/26, 10:46 a.m. ET: The story has been corrected to show that Iowa’s Students First Act established ESAs estimated at $7,598 per pupil for 2023-24.

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