Burgum optimistic on future legislation on school choice
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is a fan of tax money being used to give North Dakota families school choice. He just didn’t like the plan that was brought to him in the recent legislative session.
Speaking with Scott Hennen on KTGO Radio (AM 1090/FM 92.7), Burgum said of the idea, “I was calling for it and we do need it. When I look at a couple of states that have made incredible progress like Arizona and Iowa, in those two states their school choice is ‘money follows the student.”
Burgum has made competition in state-run departments a key pillar of his governance since being elected in 2016. He believes North Dakota’s government needs to adopt many of the mindsets that create success in the business world, where he has spent most of his career. The legislature provided Burgum a school choice bill that would have carved out $10 million from the state’s general fund for an educational reimbursement program and paid it directly to private schools. The second-term governor, however, vetoed the bill. He had several concerns, including how the bill was written.