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Hilary Wething 7/22/25 Hilary Wething 7/22/25

The five-alarm fire that public education is facing

All children deserve to attend welcoming and well-funded schools where they can learn and grow, regardless of race, disability, or income. But funding for public schools, where nearly 90% of all U.S. students learn, is at a near crisis point. The Trump administration’s goals, which are taken right out of Project 2025, seem to be to defund public education to the point that it doesn’t work, then offer private school vouchers as a solution to a manufactured problem. In this post, we highlight five ways public education is on fire in the United States and the damage this will do to students’ abilities to learn and thrive. Instead of cutting funds, lawmakers should invest in public schools, one of the best tools we still have to build a prosperous, equitable country.

Honesty for Ohio Education 7/22/25 Honesty for Ohio Education 7/22/25

Public Funds Belong in Public Schools

High-quality public schools are a common good that serve as the bedrock of a high-functioning, multiracial democracy. Yet across Ohio, lawmakers are prioritizing the interests of wealthy donors over the needs of the 10.6 million students who attend public school. Public Funds Belong in Public Schools is a toolkit created for everyday Ohioans who want to stand up for public education and push back against the expansion of private school vouchers.

Advancement Project 7/22/25 Advancement Project 7/22/25

Advancement Project Letter Opposing HR-833

On behalf of Advancement Project and 93 national, state, and grassroots racial justice, education justice, and other civil rights organizations, we write in opposition to H.R. 833 and S. 292, the Educational Choice for Children Act (“ECCA”), which would create a nationwide private school voucher program in the form of a 100% tax break for the wealthy.

Save Our Schools Arizona 7/22/25 Save Our Schools Arizona 7/22/25

What is the federal private school voucher program?

Social Media Graphics on the impact of the Educational Choice for Children Act.

Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) 7/22/25 Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) 7/22/25

House Tax Bill Enlists the Wealthy to Spread Private School Vouchers

The tax plan moving through the U.S. House of Representatives includes a provision granting extraordinarily generous treatment to nonprofits that give out vouchers for free or reduced tuition at private K-12 schools. While the bill significantly cuts charitable giving incentives overall, nonprofits that commit to focusing solely on supporting private K-12 schools would be spared from those cuts and see their donors’ tax incentive almost triple relative to what they receive today. On top of that, the bill goes out of its way to provide school voucher donors who contribute corporate stock with an extra layer of tax subsidy that works as a lucrative tax shelter. Essentially, the bill allows wealthy individuals to avoid paying capital gains tax as a reward for funneling public funds into private schools.

Scott Ploof 7/22/25 Scott Ploof 7/22/25

The Billionaire Backers of Louisiana’s Voucher Push: Who’s Funding the Privatization of Public Education?

The fight over Louisiana’s public schools isn’t just playing out in classrooms—it’s playing out in boardrooms, campaign finance reports, and legislative backrooms. With the state preparing to launch the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program in the 2025–2026 school year, the future of public education in Louisiana is being reshaped by powerful national forces and influential local reformers.

Erica Meltzer 7/22/25 Erica Meltzer 7/22/25

Congress usually snubs private school choice expansion. Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ embraces it.

A big Republican budget bill in Congress would establish a nationwide, federal school choice program — a potential political breakthrough that conservative lawmakers and advocates have discussed for years but which has consistently stalled.

Kevin Hardy 7/22/25 Kevin Hardy 7/22/25

Rapidly expanding school voucher programs pinch state budgets

Characterizing vouchers as an “entitlement program,” Hobbs said the state could spend more than $1 billion subsidizing private education in the upcoming fiscal year. The Democratic governor said those expenses could crowd out other budget priorities, including disability programs and pay raises for firefighters and state troopers.

Joshua Cowen 7/22/25 Joshua Cowen 7/22/25

The Private Eye

Researcher Josh Cowen has developed a newsletter alongside Public Funds Public Schools on school vouchers and right-wing politics.

Public Funds Public Schools and Advancement Project 7/22/25 Public Funds Public Schools and Advancement Project 7/22/25

Save Neighborhood Schools – Say No to Private School Vouchers!

Public schools welcome and serve all children in local communities for free. They provide vital access to education and services for the whole community. They teach children and young people the fundamentals of civic engagement and provide special education services, adult role models, and extracurricular activities. Local public schools also contribute to vibrant communities by providing gathering spaces, polling places, hometown sports teams, and locations to hold adult education classes, health clinics, and other needed services.

Public Funds Public Schools 1/24/25 Public Funds Public Schools 1/24/25

Private School Vouchers on the Ballot on Election Day

Voucher programs, which divert scarce public resources to private schools, have been repeatedly shown to fund discrimination against students and families, fail to improve student outcomes, and undermine funding and resources for public schools, which serve the vast majority of children. They are also widely unpopular with voters. In fact, every time vouchers have been on the ballot, they have been rejected.

Aaron Sanderford 1/24/25 Aaron Sanderford 1/24/25

Nebraska voters reject state funding for students attending private K-12 schools

Voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected Nebraska’s new school voucher or scholarship program, steering public dollars spent to public schools.

Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon 1/24/25 Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon 1/24/25

Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars

Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found.

Jeff Bryant 1/24/25 Jeff Bryant 1/24/25

Voters Across the Political Spectrum Gave Public Education Important Wins in the 2024 Election

School voucher programs, elaborate schemes that give parents taxpayer money to fund their children’s private school tuition, had an especially bad day at the ballot box. Voters rejected these schemes despite their popularity with Trump, who many experts say will likely make a federal voucher program a priority in his upcoming administration.

National Education Policy Center 1/24/25 National Education Policy Center 1/24/25

The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems

The U.S. Department of Education has projected enrollment declines over the next decade, leading to budget cuts for school districts, which will be particularly impactful in urban and rural areas serving vulnerable students. As federal COVID-19 funds expire, districts will face challenges in cutting costs, potentially leading to layoffs or school closures. Meanwhile, many states have expanded voucher programs and charter schools, diverting funds from public schools despite limited enrollment growth. Research shows these shifts harm traditional public school financing. To address this, policymakers must ensure equitable funding for public schools and hold charter and private schools to the same standards as public ones.

Hilary Wething 1/24/25 Hilary Wething 1/24/25

How vouchers harm public schools

The growing popularity of vouchers raises a host of crucial questions and concerns. Key to informing the debate are questions of public finance and education quality. Is allowing public money to leave the public school system and follow kids to private schools the most effective or equitable way to make sure every child has access to an excellent education? Our view is that it’s not. Public dollars allocated to education should go to boosting spending in public systems, not subsidizing private education.

National Coalition for Public Education 1/24/25 National Coalition for Public Education 1/24/25

Oppose $20 Billion Federal Private School Voucher Program

House Republican leadership want to include a $20 billion private school voucher program in the 2025 tax-reconciliation bill. Known as the Educational Choice for Children Act of 2024 (H.R. 9462 in the 118th Congress), it would give away $5 billion per year for each of the next four years of federal taxpayer dollars to fund private school vouchers. Instead of directing resources to the public schools that 90% of American children attend, vouchers divert critical federal dollars to students already attending private schools and to schools that can cherry pick which students they want to educate.

Liam Amick 1/24/25 Liam Amick 1/24/25

Opinion: Trinity won't let me write about Amendment 2. Here's why I'm against it.

I’m a “private school kid.” I went to St. Francis of Assisi for first through eighth grades, and I am now a senior at Trinity High School. I will always be indebted to those schools for providing me with fantastic educations and experiences in the most formative years of my life. But to say I am disappointed with Trinity’s stance on Amendment 2 — a Kentucky ballot measure that would allow public tax funding to be used for private schools — would be an understatement.

Eli Hager 1/24/25 Eli Hager 1/24/25

In an Unprecedented Move, Ohio Is Funding the Construction of Private Religious Schools

The state is giving millions in taxpayer dollars directly to private schools to help them renovate and expand their campuses. It may be the next frontier in the push to increase the use of school vouchers, proponents say.

Carl Davis 1/24/25 Carl Davis 1/24/25

Voucher Boondoggle: House Advances Plan to Give the Wealthy $1.20 for Every $1 They Steer to Private K-12 Schools

While there was never any question as to whether the committee’s majority supported private school vouchers, this is the first time they have gone on the record specifically endorsing the kind of profitable tax shelter embedded in many voucher programs. As we learned yesterday, most of the House Ways & Means Committee is content to facilitate new forms of wasteful tax avoidance if doing so aids the cause of funneling more public resources into private K-12 schools.

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