Byron Donalds makes the case for school choice at RNC

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds made a case for school choice while on stage at the Republican National Convention.

The Naples Republican took the stage in Milwaukee to cheers. He noted that he represents Southwest Florida in Congress, but was raised in Brooklyn. He credited much of his personal success in life to his mother’s decision to enroll him in private school despite economic obstacles.

“My mother took me out of public school because she could see that public education was failing me,” Donalds said. “I needed to be challenged, and I needed the opportunity that only a private school could provide. My mother is an educator, and she truly believed in my potential, but Democrat politicians wanted to trap me in a failing school. But my mom fought for me.”

Notably, Donalds is married to one of Florida’s most prominent charter school and voucher advocates, Erika Donalds. She joined the Heritage Foundation last year as a visiting fellow focused on the economics of school choice. She’s also a former Collier County School Board member and is the founder and CEO of OptimaEd, which operates a number of classical academies in Florida.

Byron Donalds has championed expansions in education opportunity scholarships during his time in Congress and when he served in the Florida Legislature.

He leaned further into his own story when making the case for school choice nationwide.

“What about those kids whose parents can’t scrape money together for private school? Don’t those kids who grew up like I grew up deserve the same chance that I had?” he said.

He suggested that President Joe Biden would stop such educational opportunities, but that if Republicans elect President Donald Trump to the White House again, he will open doors for students.

“Joe Biden and (Vice President) Kamala Harris sent their kids to high priced private schools, but since they are in the pocket of the far-left teachers unions, they trap poor kids like me in failing schools with no way out,” Donalds said. “They say they’re pro-choice, but not if you want a choice over what your kids are taught.”

Donalds praised America’s teachers. “To the teachers of America who pour your heart and your soul into your students and teach the next generation to love, honor and serve our great country, we all say thank you,” Donalds said.

But he said Democratic policies restrict educational options, and inflation makes it impossible to overcome economic barriers for parents.

“All Americans deserve a shot at the American dream. But under Joe Biden’s debilitating economic policies, for many Americans, far too many of them, that dream has slipped away,” Donalds said.