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PHOENIX — A growing number of lawmakers across the country are taking steps to redefine public education, shifting the debate from the classroom to the pocketbook. Instead of simply financing a traditional system of neighborhood schools, legislators and some governors are headed toward funneling public money directly to families, who would be free to choose the kind of schooling they believe is best for their children, be it public, charter, private, religious, online or at home.

Legislation and an ACLU lawsuit tackle the increasing use of fees at public schools, a trend that is unfair to low-income students and increases disparities.

Yuma— En un foro público este lunes, cuatro candidatos del Condado de Yuma para puestos en la legislatura del estado, ofrecieron distintas estrategias para mejorar la calidad de educación en Arizona y para ayudar a las familias.

The class action lawsuit the ACLU announced last week against Michigan and a tiny Detroit-area school district for failing to educate children raises this question: Can schools ever compensate for the ills of poverty?

I have spent more than 35 years working to help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity, but two recent New York Timesarticles illustrate how far we are from achieving that moral and societal imperative.

New Hampshire parents and children should annually celebrate June 27. That's when the Legislature enacted SB 372, which helps the children of low- and middle-income families attend the schools of their choice rather than being trapped in failing and mediocre public schools.

• Parents who choose to move their child from one public school to another will be eligible for a $1,000 state income tax deduction.
• Parents who home school their children will be eligible to receive a $2,000 state income tax deduction for approved educational expenses per student.
• Parents with children enrolled in an independent, non-public school will be eligible to receive a $4,000 state income tax deduction.

• Individuals and corporations will be able to claim a 60 percent state tax credit for contributions they make to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations that distribute scholarships to qualified children.
• Eligible children are those who qualify for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program or who are Medicaid eligible.
• Scholarships will be worth up to $5,000 or 75 percent of tuition, whichever is less.
• The total cap on the program is $15 million with an annual escalator based on population growth and the Consumer Price Index.

• Individuals and corporations will be able to claim a 60 percent state tax credit for contributions they make to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations that distribute scholarships to qualified children with special needs.
• Eligible children are students with significant disabilities, whose parents believe that the services provided by the local public school district do not meet the needs of the student.
• Scholarships will be worth up to $10,000 or 75 percent of tuition, whichever is less.
• The total cap on the program is $10 million with an annual escalator based on population growth and the Consumer Price Index.

Everybody loves the underdog except when it comes to education reform. More than a week after the Florida Senate rejected the parent trigger bill, the story line is now David v. Goliath, with David (played by established parent groups like the Florida PTA and Fund Education Now) squeaking out a victory over Goliath (starring Jeb Bush, Michelle Rhee, and the Republican-dominated Legislature.)