Bright Today Scholarship and Open Enrollment Education Act

The Bright Today Scholarship and Open Enrollment Education Act affirms a principle that should be uncontroversial: parents, not government administrators, are best positioned to determine where and how their children are educated. Scripture is clear that the responsibility for raising and instructing children belongs first to the family. Laws that expand parental choice in education are not merely good policy — they honor a God-given authority that government should support, not suppress.

Rhode Island families currently face significant barriers when the school assigned to them by zip code fails to meet their child's academic, social, or spiritual needs. This bill removes those barriers by allowing students to enroll in the public or private school that is the right fit for them. That freedom is meaningful whether a family is seeking a rigorous academic environment, a safe learning community, or a school that reinforces their faith at home.

Faith-based schools in particular stand to play a vital role under this program. For many Christian and religious families, a school that integrates faith into every subject is not a luxury — it is a necessity. By including private institutions in the open enrollment framework, this bill ensures that those families are not treated as second-class citizens in the education system simply because their values differ from those embedded in the public school curriculum.

Critics of school choice often argue that expanding options weakens the public school system. The evidence does not support that conclusion. Competition and accountability improve outcomes across the board, and families who find the right school for their child are more engaged, not less, in their community's educational future. This bill creates that healthy dynamic in Rhode Island.

The American Council supports the Bright Today Scholarship and Open Enrollment Education Act because it advances a simple and just idea: education funding should serve children and families, not institutions. We urge Rhode Island legislators to move this bill forward and deliver real educational freedom to the families who need it most.