Bill to Expand School Choice Killed In Senate Education Committee

In layman’s terms, SB 64 would have established a School Choice Flex Account providing $8,000 for tuition and education-related expenses, as well as a Special Education Flex Account offering $16,000 for students with special needs. All funds would have been specific to each school year, with unused balances reverting to the state’s General Fund for K-12 education and local and federal funding remaining to be allocated to public schools, increasing per-pupil spending for students who continue in their local schools.

Senator Grove wrote the bill to help increase educational opportunities for students by giving parents more options for school choice, and to move up California’s educational ranking up from 37th in the United States. With SB 64, Grove wanted to give parents the ability to select the accredited school that best suits their child’s unique needs.

“Every child deserves access to a quality education that equips them for a successful future,” said Grove of the bill in January. “The School Choice Flex Account Act of 2025 puts the decision making back into the hands of parents, providing them with greater control over their children’s success. By providing more choices and flexibility, we can help unlock every child’s potential.”

SB 64 killed in committee

However, SB 64 faced an uphill battle. Most Democrats opposed the bill, saying that it would only lead more students to private schools or other public alternatives and take away funds that would have gone to them. Opponents also compared it to Grove’s previous failed education choice bills, including SB 292 from 2023, which didn’t pass because of worries over taking away funds from public schools and the state potentially giving money to religious schools.

That worry remained on Wednesday, when Senator Grove and Deacon John Wilson held a rally outside the Capitol Building in Sacramento before the vote.

“Our black students are so far behind in math, yet society says that we want more blacks and Hispanics in STEM, but we aren’t giving them what they need,” said Deacon Wilson. “But now we’re fighting over algebra in eighth grade and algebra in ninth grade, and all the while our black students slip. Let’s try something different. What do you say? Let’s give all of these students a chance. All students should have the same chance to succeed, and bringing choice back is the way forward now which would place California higher where other states are now.”

Despite the support, SB 64 wound up failing to pass the Senate Education Committee in a 5-2 vote on Wednesday, ending yet another student choice bill for Senator Grove.

“Senate Bill 64 would have empowered families, not bureaucracies, and let the money follow the child,” said Senator Grove after the Committee vote. “The Senate Education Committee’s decision to kill SB 64 denies parents and students the chance to thrive in schools tailored to their needs. Currently, when students are trapped in low-performing schools simply because of their zip code or in a school model that does not meet their needs the results are predictable—failure. When given a choice, it’s proven they excel. We will not stop fighting for that choice.”

While Grove is likely going to attempt another student choice bill in the future, the failure of SB 64 on Wednesday means that it will take at least another year before any kind of change regarding school choice is to happen.

“California really needs to step up on education, and denying bills like SB 64 from moving forward really puts students and parents in a bind,” explained Jessica, a local PTO leader from Southern California to the Globe on Wednesday. “School choice is critical to improve our children’s education. It’s so sad to see that so many politicians don’t see it that way.”