Republicans in our state Legislature are optimistic about a proposal to expand options for school children.

The proposal would allow students in poorly performing public schools to transfer to private schools, charter schools or to other, better-performing public schools. Scholarships to assist with the transfers would come from state education funding that was already allotted.

While Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro has indicated he is more open to “school choice” proposals like this one, many Democrats have been skeptical about the lack of auditing for private schools.

More auditing, of course, would help reassure Pennsylvanians from across the political spectrum that public money and initiatives to perform what is, under our state Constitution, a public function is well-spent and well-orchestrated.

However, we can see no reason why that detail cannot be ironed out in the future, or why it should stall what appears to be a good measure that would empower families to find the best educational opportunities for their children. Potential opportunities that, again, include other public schools within our state.

As state Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, one of the architects of the proposal, said: “All children deserve a quality education regardless of their zip code.”

We agree.

While we recognize that all Pennsylvanians want to know that all avenues for education – private and public – are monitored and striving for improvement, we do not believe postponing greater choice for families can be justified by any effort to more thoroughly audit any school.