Proposal for a National Voucher Program

Introduced in the 119th Congress, the Educational Choice for Children Act would divert $100 billion in taxpayer money to private and religious schools. Its sponsors want it to be part of the 2025 reconciliation bill.

How it Works 

• Individuals and corporations give money to an intermediary called a scholarship-granting organization (SGO).
• SGOs pay tuition at private and religious schools.
• Individual and corporate donors get dollar-for-dollar tax credits worth far more than the usual deduction for charitable contributions.
• People can also offload stocks to SGOs and evade taxes on capital gains.
• Voters nationwide have rejected voucher schemes every time they’re on the ballot—17 times. The most recent votes, in November 2024, were in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

Public vs. Private Schools

• Public schools educate 9 out of 10 Americans.
• Voucher-inspired schemes redirect funds from public to private schools that are not accountable to the public.
• Special needs students who attend private schools lose important legal rights and protections.
• Vouchers weaken public education, especially in the rural communities where 20 percent of our students live and public schools are the economic center.

Real-Life Impact

• Numerous studies have found that voucher-inspired schemes do not improve student performance.
• America cannot afford to fund two education systems—one private and one public—on the taxpayer’s dime.
• Taxpayer dollars should go to public schools open to all students, not private schools that can pick and choose their students.