A Scholarship Changed This PA Boy’s Life

Rebecca Crisafulli, a mother of three in New Cumberland, knew something was wrong long before anyone else did.

Her middle son started kindergarten during the COVID-19 pandemic—a troubling time for students and parents nationwide. While helping him at home, Rebecca noticed that reading wasn’t clicking for him. Her husband had struggled with dyslexia, so she knew what to look for. Her daughter, two years older, had learned to read almost effortlessly, which made the contrast even clearer.

She told his teachers at her local district school about his struggles. But his school’s response was underwhelming. 

But this wait-and-see approach didn’t work. By the end of second grade, after Rebecca had spoken with every teacher along the way, the school set up an individualized education program for her son.

Unfortunately, the services didn’t begin until third grade. By then, her son was already far behind. By fifth grade, he was still reading at a first-grade level.

So, the Crisafulli family looked for options.

First, they pursued private tutoring. A family friend, also a retired teacher, offered to help. After a few weeks, the tutoring helped, and her son began to improve. But the arrangement couldn’t last, and other options were expensive.

Next, they tried homeschooling. But Rebecca, a working mom, struggled to juggle her profession and her son’s education.

Cyber school came next. But the virtual classroom lacked the one-on-one help he needed.

“We went from tears and struggling to read one sentence to him finishing his first chapter book for fun all on his own,” Rebecca recalls.

His confidence grew as classmates cheered him on. Rebecca calls it “the growth that I was praying for. 

This story highlights the complicated journey of finding “the right school” and the detours families may encounter along the way. The Crisafullis tried just about everything—public school, homeschool, cyber school, and private school—before landing in the right place.

And that scholarship to attend the Samuel School made all the difference. 

Now, Pennsylvania has a unique opportunity to provide similar scholarships to families like the Crisafullis.

Beginning in 2027, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) will allow donors to contribute up to $1,700 a year, or $3,400 for married couples filing jointly, to scholarship organizations and receive a 100 percent federal tax credit. Scholarships can cover tuition, tutoring, extended day programming, special-education expenses, books, supplies, and other approved educational expenses.

And they come at no cost to the state or school districts.

Newly released U.S. Treasury guidelines make the program even more promising for families like hers. Scholarships for special-needs students and kids in need of tutoring receive priority. That’s significant, since intensive tutoring is among the few interventions shown to help students recover from pandemic learning loss.

Although they prioritize higher-need students, the scholarships still will cover a lot of ground in Pennsylvania. Nearly 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s K–12 students—about 1.8 million in total—qualify. And most of these kids attend public schools.

The program’s financial benefits speak for themselves. If just 10 percent of eligible Pennsylvania taxpayers donate, an estimated $700 million will flow to students in the commonwealth.

But none of it happens unless Gov. Josh Shapiro opts in. He has until Jan. 1, 2027, to do so, or else that money will fund students in other states instead.

Rebecca’s son found the right fit because financial aid opened a door. “We would not be there if it weren’t for scholarships,” she says.

The Crisafulli family got there through persistence and a lot of trial and error. And financial assistance could have helped them at each stage, from paying for after-school tutoring to affording private-school tuition.

Rather than letting families struggle, Governor Shapiro can ensure they don’t have to. Opting Pennsylvania into the FSTC will secure the financial support they need to provide their kids with a high-quality education. 

During the most recent debate, Shapiro said that he will announce his decision to opt in “the next few weeks.” But Rebecca—and thousands of other Pennsylvania parents like her—have waited long enough.

Rachel Langan is the senior education policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank.