Mark Alford (r) gets schooled

Today:

Congressman Mark Alford
[September 15, 2026]

🎓 It’s Education Freedom Week. ⏰
Every child is different. Every family is different.
So why should every student have the same path? Do you think there should be more parental school choice…yes or no?
Let us know by commenting below. 👇
[….]

Yes, he went there.

Some of the responses:

Families can already choose. If they want an exclusive school and not a public school they have a choice to pay for it.

Taxpayer funds shouldn’t be used for homeschooling or private schools. And rural people don’t have any option other than severely underfunded public schools.

School choice is just that: Schools choose their students. Parents choice is limited to schools that will accept their child. Public schools have to serve every student , private schools can refuse to admit a child for any reason they choose (generally excludes kids with mental or physical disability, low academic performance, misbehavior, parents religious beliefs, sexual orientation of child or parent…). Families in rural areas have little to no choice as there is no nearby private school. Public money is for educating the public, not just selected groups. Public schools are accountable for government money and student performance, private schools are not. Missouri’s public schools are underfunded based on the state’s own funding formula yet it found 60 MILLION $ to pay for private school tuition.

A vote for mark Alford is a vote for Donald Trump

Keep the money in public schools, where they are needed most to ensure all children can get an education. Trying to privatize it to put more money into the wealthy pockets is not “for the people”

No, I think children should all be taught a curriculum grounded in truth and not religion or right wing fear mongering or history denial

Vouchers are for private education only. According to the Herzog foundation a household of 4 can make up to $178,433 to qualify for voucher money. A household of 4 making $61,051 makes too much for reduced public school lunch. Also, the state again today voted to decrease public school funding even more. Over 80% of our kids attend public school. Thanks for your continued non support of public education.

Here’s your education on how this works dumb dumb, as if you dont know. You give parents a voucher to go seek an education wherever that family chooses. Private institutions will simply raise tuition rates to continue to keep out undesirable students or close registration because they cant handle the influx. Urban districts will see a mass exodus to neighboring district that also won’t be able to handle the influx and will shutter neighborhood schools in KC and St Louis. Lastly, private schools do not have to honor IEP’s or 504’s for students that need these accommodations, again forcing them to get a compromised education or stay in a situation that their public school has already been defunded. I terms that you understand, “vouchers bad”, free, funded public education good…

Let me choose where my tax dollars are going to! Not private schools!

Every family can choose. Not every family has choices in their area. As you are a representative to rural Missourians, you should probably understand that already.

Study after study has shown the primary beneficiaries of vouchers are already enrolled in private schools.

So when are the debates going to be Mark?

There are Lots of little towns that are held together by their public school in Alfords district. Once they are gone, the town will go with it. Nobody will build a private school in Osceola, niangua, fair play, or rich hill. Those towns would dry up and blow away without their local public school.

Make America educational ranking continue to plummet -as GOP destroys standards. Are we great yet?

Families have always had the right to choose. They’ve been doing it for decades. You’re creating a problem to justify funneling public funds to Christian schools for affluent families.

The only “education freedom” Alford seeks is the freedom for the wealthy to get tax payer funds to help send their kids to private schools while everyone else has their schools underfunded and their kids can’t get a proper education.

I think you’ve done enough to derail education for the day. Maybe give it a rest and come back tomorrow.

Just in time to see Missouri not fully fund public schools again. What a sad backwoods group of legislatures competing with Mississippi.

Quit spewing stupid crap. Families have always been able to choose. Tax dollars pay for public schools. Period. End of story.

THEY CAN CHOOSE!!! Just as long as they pay for their OWN PRIVATE SCHOOLS!
You’re NOT gonna make the taxpayers pay for PRIVATE SCHOOLS, which teach Christian Nationalism.
That’s what this is all about, Little Markie.
Stop trying to shove it down our throats.