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Rural education activists and public school supporters rallied against a proposed bill in the North Dakota Legislature that would funnel public tax dollars to private schools.
House Bill 1540 would mandate the establishment of Education Savings Accounts for each private-school student in the state that would be 40% of what public schools get per-student. That would amount to about $4,400 per student next school year, $40 million total for the state. Projections say that would balloon to nearly to nearly $150 million by 2028.
Opponents at the Capitol argued that only around 30% of students in North Dakota have access to private schools, which would force rural communities and families to pay for private schools they can’t access. Private schools that receive tax money also can exclude students at-will, meaning they could deny students of certain religious or ethnic backgrounds, or LGBTQ students, something forbidden by law at public schools.
Former Governor Doug Burgum vetoed a similar bill in 2023.
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