Former allies on school choice now divided by Trump budget
By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press
May 24, 2017 4:13 PM CDT
FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2015, file photo, Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, stand for a photo amid Jeff Koons sculptures at his new museum called "The Broad" in downtown Los Angeles. Eli Broad, a charter school advocate, has contributed at least $3.7 million since 2007 to political efforts to expand...   (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump's budget proposal to provide federal tax money for private-school scholarships is getting pushback from an unconventional source: groups known for promoting school-choice initiatives.

Stand for Children is a group that supports charter schools and is sometimes at odds with teachers unions. Now it says it's going to collaborate with a teachers union to oppose Trump's plan.

Some states have voucher and scholarship programs, but the federal government has never done anything like this for K-12 students nationwide. The proposal sets aside $250 million for scholarships.

Expanding school choice was a major piece of Trump's education platform when he was a candidate.

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This story has been corrected to show this would be the first federally funded private-school scholarship program that would be available nationwide.

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