The General Assembly doesn't quite understand school choice

Senate Republicans introduce a relatively weak version of the universal school choice bills enacted in other states

The philosophy behind school choice is as simple as it is powerful: Parents know best what their children need for their education. And the money the state invests is intended to support students, not school systems. 

Around the country, Republican-led states are embracing this philosophy and fueling the most significant expansion of school choice programs in years.

In state after state, governors have signed into law programs that allow every family to access the money designated for their child's education and put it toward the school of their choice — including private schools, religious schools or home schools.

Last week, North Carolina waded into these waters, filing a bill in the N.C. Senate that would make all of the state's families eligible for money they can use toward tuition or education expenses. Senator President Pro Tem Phil Berger’s office touted it as the biggest proposed expansion of school choice in the state's history.

The bill is a great step forward, building on the …