This is a guest opinion column

Even amid the heat of summer, parents began sending their kids back to school last week. For parents in parts of the country, there are now new alternatives they can choose. Instead of the local public school being the only option, many states, including some of Alabama’s neighbors, now have Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and other expansive school choice programs that put education options within reach.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Alabama families don’t have any choices for the coming school year thanks to the Yellowhammer State’s limited school choice. But a recent announcement by Governor Kay Ivey may be the gamechanger parents have been waiting for.

In throwing her considerable political weight behind education freedom, Governor Ivey joins Republican governors across the country who are leading the fight to expand relatively small school choice initiatives tailored to very small segments of the school-aged population into programs from which most students can benefit. In the last two years alone, Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and several other states have passed expansive ESA programs.

These ESAs place a portion of the education funds the state has already appropriated for the student into an account that parents may use to pay for private school tuition and fees, tutoring, therapies for special needs, and in some states, even homeschool curricula and activities.

School choice is life-changing for families of all types. Families benefiting from school choice overwhelmingly report increased satisfaction in the education their children receive. One of the most gratifying parts of my job is hearing from parents who, over the past few years, have witnessed their children’s educational breakthroughs, transforming from struggling students to passionate learners. But the beauty of school choice programs is that their benefits aren’t exclusive to the participating families alone.

In Florida, which currently boasts the country’s largest suite of school choice programs, education freedom has been proven to boost student outcomes and teacher pay in traditional public schools too. Meanwhile, school choice saves taxpayers billions every year.

Better education and career outcomes and it saves taxpayer money? That sounds like a perfect conservative policy to me.

Democrats should also support ESAs. Kids in Birmingham deserve the same shot at a quality education as their peers over the mountain, but far too many Alabama cities still display the scars of redlining and other forms of institutional racism, trapping low-income and Black and brown kids into schools with dismal results simply because their parents can’t afford to move to Mountain Brook or Homewood.

And in a political climate where seemingly no one agrees on anything, 71 percent of voters nationwide support school choice, with some of the highest support coming from Black voters.

Win-win-win.

While I expect there to be significant fight put up by the Alabama Education Association, the historically powerful (and recently ascendent) teachers union, Governor Ivey’s announcement of support should be read as a rallying cry for legislators eager to expand parental freedom.

A lifelong Alabamian, Elizabeth BeShears is the Director of State Communications Strategy for the American Federation for Children.