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Senate hearing on removing EFA enrollment cap draws competing personal stories and fiscal concerns
Summary
Senate Bill 581 would lift or expand the enrollment cap on Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). Proponents described safety, special‑needs and affordability stories; opponents (unions, many school officials) warned that expanding EFAs diverts new state dollars to families already using private schools and creates substantial new charges on the Education Trust Fund without reducing public school costs.
Senator Victoria Sullivan opened the hearing for SB 581 by arguing that removing the EFA enrollment cap would let roughly 800 families on the waiting list access education accounts that sponsor advocates call a path to choice and safety. "No child should be left in the waiting room of school choice," Sullivan said.
Testimony split sharply. Supporters described detailed personal cases in which EFAs enabled children to transfer from public schools where families said they feared for student safety, or…
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