Issue: School Choice

One of Fred Thompson's attacks on Governor Huckabee in the South Carolina debate was that our favorite candidate opposes School Choice. Other media talking heads have parroted this same accusation.

Simply put, it isn't true.

The Club for Growth (no fan of Huckabee for sure) wrote this:

Governor Huckabee's record on school choice is mixed. On the one hand, he fought hard to protect the rights of parents to home school their children and was a vocal proponent of charter schools (Arkansas Time 09/22/05). In 1997, he supported a proposal that would expand charter school eligibility to include public and private universities, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations (AP 02/12/97). He signed legislation in 1999 that allowed for as many as 12 charter schools to be established in Arkansas, an important achievement given the state's onerous laws governing charter schools (Time 07/10/00).

On the other hand, Governor Huckabee is on record opposing the most important element of genuine school choice-voucher programs that allow poor students in failing public schools to attend private schools and inject much needed competition into a decrepit public education system-because of a concern about government control of parochial schools (Arkansas Times 09/22/05).

Found in: Mike Huckabee's Record on Economic Issues

In short, Governor Huckabee does not oppose School Choice, but he did and does oppose School Vouchers. He's not alone among Conservatives in this regard. Texas Eagle Forum came out in opposition to Vouchers for the very reason Huckabee cites. (Private school vouchers: A conservative view). Governor Huckabee favors expanding the Child Tax Credit (until the Income Tax goes away in its entirety) to assist families in paying private school tuition if they'd like. He also supports policies to allow parents to choose among public schools.

The next time you hear this attack, just remember that Vouchers are not the same thing as School Choice.