Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville has rolled out a campaign playbook that pairs an expansion of Alabama's school choice program with a push to enshrine parental control over education in the state constitution. The U.S. senator, who faces former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama's gubernatorial race, says the plan reflects his belief that Montgomery should do the right things well, stand up for state values, and then get out of the way.
According to Alabama Reporter, Tuberville has released a policy playbook outlining plans for Alabama that supports the CHOOSE Act, parental involvement and school accountability, with education and employment results to be published by county. The campaign's “Back to Basics: Golden Age Playbook” runs 22 pages and lays out day-one, first-session and first-budget goals across seven priorities, as reported by 1819 News. The plan also includes eight bills Tuberville wants passed in his first legislative session and a public scoreboard letting voters grade his progress.
Per Yellowhammer News, Tuberville said he wants to bring his beliefs in God, family, life, the Second Amendment and personal earnings to Alabama governance, framing protection of what he calls Alabama values as a top priority if elected. He pointed to his record supporting President Trump and law enforcement, and said he has fought for immigration enforcement, American workers, career and technical education, and rural hospitals during his time in the Senate.
A Constitutional Fight Over Parents' Rights
At the center of the education push is a proposal to recognize parental authority as a fundamental right under state law. Alabama House Bill 148, introduced by Representative Paschal and given its first reading on January 13, 2026, states that each parent has the fundamental right to direct the education, upbringing, care, custody and control of his or her child, according to the bill text filed with the Alabama Legislature.
The bill would bar government from burdening that right unless doing so advances a compelling governmental interest through the least restrictive means possible, the legislative text shows. Importantly, the measure would not automatically rewrite the constitution: it would take effect only if approved by a majority of qualified electors voting on it, per the same filing. Tuberville's playbook describes giving parents control of their children's education and the right to see what is taught and choose their school through what he calls the Alabama Life Ready Act, which would also set career-planning milestones such as an interest identified by eighth grade and a path chosen by 10th grade, Alabama Reporter reports.
CHOOSE Act Expansion Takes Center Stage
Tuberville's education agenda leans heavily on expanding the CHOOSE Act, the education savings account program that 1819 News describes as giving parents more control over their child's education and where they attend school. He has said he wants to fully fund the program in his first budget, ensure money follows the child, run it cleanly and publish results, and wants to make sure President Trump's new federal scholarship tax credit is available to Alabama families, per Yellowhammer News.
The program's growth has been rapid. In the 2026-27 school year, 34,000 students were approved for education savings accounts worth up to $7,000, with $174 million distributed statewide, according to AL.com. Applications for that school year reached 29,341, representing 48,927 students — nearly 7,200 more applicants than the prior year, the Alabama Reflector reported. Parents can claim up to $7,000 in tax credits for expenses including private-school tuition, school supplies and tutoring under the current structure, the Reflector notes.
The CHOOSE Act is scheduled to go universal in 2027, opening eligibility to every Alabama family regardless of income, with up to $250 million projected to be available in the 2027-28 school year, AL.com reports. Public opinion remains split: a PARCA survey found 48% of Alabamians approve of the program while 50% disapprove, according to the Reflector's reporting.
A Clear Dividing Line With Jones
School choice has become one of the sharpest contrasts in the governor's race. Jones has said that if elected, he would stop accepting new CHOOSE Act applications and phase the program out, while preserving choices already made by participating families, the Reflector reported. Tuberville, for his part, has said he wants to expand the CHOOSE Act and has criticized Jones' opposition to it, per the same outlet.
Tuberville has framed the contrast in blunt terms, telling 1819 News, “We need to give the kids back to the parents, all across the country.” His campaign playbook goes further on cultural issues, calling for no DEI in state government or schools, no men in women's sports, no gender ideology in classrooms and no tax dollars for abortion, according to 1819 News. The playbook also states that Alabama has no need to apologize for its faith, Yellowhammer News reports.
Echoes of an Earlier School Choice Push
The current CHOOSE Act traces back to earlier legislative efforts to expand education savings accounts in Alabama. House Bill 88, filed in 2024, had proposed the True School Choice for Alabama Act, which stated it would secure parents' constitutional rights to direct their K-12 children's education according to their faith, beliefs, values and morals, according to the bill text on file with the Alabama Legislature. That measure set an annual ESA amount of $6,900 per participating student for the 2024-2025 school year and capped the initial-year appropriation at $400 million, the legislative record shows — figures that have since grown substantially under the program's expansion.
Alabama's general election is scheduled for November 3, with education policy, and specifically the future of the CHOOSE Act, standing as one of the clearest points of contrast between Tuberville and Jones heading into the vote.
