By: Jeff Beach (ND Monitor)
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Wednesday vetoed a bill to use public tax dollars for private school tuition but signaled support for a separate Education Savings Account bill still under consideration.
House Bill 1540 would have established Education Savings Accounts for private school students. Armstrong said in a statement that he supports school choice but said the bill “falls far short of truly expanding choice as it only impacts one sector of our student population.”
The statement noted that of North Dakota’s 168 school districts, only 19 have private schools, with most in larger communities.
“House Bill 1540 fails to deliver the school choice North Dakota needs, especially in rural areas where nonpublic school options are few and far between,” Armstrong said in the statement.
The bill passed the House 49-43 on Monday. It had previously passed the Senate 27-20.
Lawmakers would need 63 votes in the House and 32 votes in the Senate to override the veto.
The cost to the state would have depended on how many families used the vouchers but was estimated at about $20 million in the first year.
A competing bill, Senate Bill 2400, would allow public dollars to be used for private school tuition, but also would establish Education Savings Accounts for public school and homeschooled students.
Armstrong in his veto message urged lawmakers to use Senate Bill 2400 to combine the best parts of both bills.
“Passing a voucher bill that caters to only a small segment of North Dakota’s student population all but guarantees a voter referendum and threatens to derail the prospect of good school choice policy for years to come,” he wrote.
Armstrong on Monday signed a bill that could lead to public charter schools in North Dakota.
