PA Families Need Two School Choice Victories

The following month could determine whether tens of thousands of Pennsylvania students get ahead – or continue to fall behind.

Consider the school choice program that Congress hopes to pass in June. Republicans call it the “big, beautiful bill,” and arguably the biggest and most beautiful part is a tax-credit scholarship. Families in Pennsylvania and across America could get thousands of dollars to help them pay for a private school for their kids. Right now, the bill would allow for up to $5 billion in donations for scholarships. That’s enough to help at least a million students, including thousands in Pennsylvania.

This program is modeled on proven statewide programs that exist in the commonwealth. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit are wildly popular, with more than 85,000 scholarships going to students in 66 out of 67 counties last year. Unfortunately, due to arbitrary government caps, another 80,000 scholarship applications went unfilled. That’s how much demand there is for programs that help students attend better schools.

The federal tax-credit scholarship program – the Educational Choice for Children Act – would help immediately meet that demand.

McCormick’s commitment to educational opportunity is a breath of fresh air for families across Pennsylvania. Other prominent politicians from the Keystone State – most notably Gov. Josh Shapiro – have failed to deliver on such promises. Pennsylvania families can’t afford for our federal leaders to go down that same path. 

But we don’t just need action in Congress. We need the same leadership in Harrisburg, where another transformative school-choice program sits on the cusp of passage.

For the third year in a row, Senate Republicans have championed Lifeline Scholarships, or the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS). These scholarships would allow low-income students in failing public schools to attend the school of their choice. More than 200,000 students are trapped in Pennsylvania’s chronically failing schools. These children should not be forced to stay in a failing school that holds them back for the rest of their lives.

Like the tax-credit scholarships at the federal level, PASS/Lifeline Scholarships are wildly popular. Our polling shows that 83 percent of Hispanic voters and 94% of black voters support PASS/Lifeline Scholarships. But despite this public demand, some of our state leaders are blocking progress.

Shapiro is the worst offender. He campaigned in support of PASS/Lifeline Scholarships in 2022. He even appeared on Fox News, promising “a quality education” for “every child of God.”

But three years later, he’s done nothing to deliver. He even vetoed funding for the scholarships when it came across his desk in 2023. Instead of taking responsibility, he blamed the state legislature for its “unfinished business.” And after the Senate Education Committee passed PASS/Lifeline Scholarships out of committee by an 8–3 bipartisan vote, Shapiro’s official comment on the program was “no position.”

Shapiro’s lack of leadership on this issue is beyond alarming, especially considering how close we are to the state budget deadline. As the state prepares to pass a budget before June 30, students in failing schools need PASS/Lifeline Scholarships statewide. And they need Shapiro to keep his promise.

This could be the biggest year for school choice in history. Congress should pass the tax-credit scholarships in the coming weeks, empowering thousands of families. The state legislature and governor should do the same with PASS/Lifeline Scholarships. These are two golden opportunities to help more Pennsylvania students get ahead. It will be a shame – and a crime – if politicians in Washington and Harrisburg instead choose to let these kids fall further behind.

Kevin Kane is Director of Legislative Strategy at the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank.