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Federal Voucher Program – FAQs
Bills Legislation and Litigation Public Funds Public Schools Bills Legislation and Litigation Public Funds Public Schools

Federal Voucher Program – FAQs

The expansion of private school vouchers through the inclusion of a federal voucher scheme in the budget reconciliation bill passed in July is part of a broader assault on public education designed to privatize one of the most important common goods underpinning American democracy. Opting in to the federal program (the state’s choice), even to use voucher money for public education students, broadly endangers public education and opens the door to further voucher expansion, whether vouchers are already available in a given state or not.

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States Must Reject Harmful Voucher Program
Bills Legislation and Litigation Public Funds Public Schools Bills Legislation and Litigation Public Funds Public Schools

States Must Reject Harmful Voucher Program

The federal voucher program contained in the budget reconciliation bill passed in early July will divert federal tax dollars from the U.S. Treasury and from services, including public education, that Americans rely on, to give to private and religious schools that pick and choose whom they educate and openly discriminate against some students and families.

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Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Devastate Public Schools. America’s Kids Will Pay the Price
Bills Legislation and Litigation Jessica Alcantara and Laura Petty Bills Legislation and Litigation Jessica Alcantara and Laura Petty

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Devastate Public Schools. America’s Kids Will Pay the Price

This week, Republican lawmakers are attempting to pass a budget reconciliation bill that pays for unprecedented handouts to the wealthiest Americans on the backs of cuts to programs that benefit most people. Hidden in this budget package before the House is a national private school voucher program funded through tax breaks for the wealthy that threatens to dismantle our system of public schools.

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New Federal Tax Credit Boosts School Choice—but Blue States Face Big Decision
Bills Legislation and Litigation Matt Barnum Bills Legislation and Litigation Matt Barnum

New Federal Tax Credit Boosts School Choice—but Blue States Face Big Decision

School-choice advocates won a major victory with President Trump’s tax megabill—but it comes with a catch.

The federal government will now subsidize private-school tuition, via unusually generous tax credits for donations to nonprofits. However, governors must opt into the program. Democratic-led states may reject it, derailing school-choice advocates’ goal for a nationwide effort.

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Labor Voices: Hometown schools at risk from federal voucher program
Bills Legislation and Litigation Chandra Madafferi Bills Legislation and Litigation Chandra Madafferi

Labor Voices: Hometown schools at risk from federal voucher program

Whether it’s the buzz of a Friday night football game, the excitement of a school play or the familiar faces in the school pick-up line, our hometown public schools are at the heart of who we are as Michiganians.

But a new national school voucher program enacted as part of the recently passed federal spending plan could have devastating impacts on school communities in towns across Michigan.

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Scamming Our Schools: Robbing Our Students’ Futures to Line Their Pockets
Bills Legislation and Litigation Senator Mazie Hirono Bills Legislation and Litigation Senator Mazie Hirono

Scamming Our Schools: Robbing Our Students’ Futures to Line Their Pockets

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) led a spotlight forum focused on the harmful consequences the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will have on students, parents, teachers, and schools across the country. Specifically, the forum highlights the school voucher-related provisions from the bill, which would divert billions of dollars in taxpayer funding to create the first ever national school voucher program.

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Voucher programs threaten the promise of public education

Voucher programs threaten the promise of public education

Today, we face a troubling trend. The push for voucher programs that redirect public funds to private schools threatens to abandon the fundamental promise of public education. While these programs sound appealing on the surface, they risk dismantling the very foundation that makes American education a beacon of opportunity for all.

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Megabill Takes Cap Off Unprecedented Private School Voucher Tax Credit, Potentially Raising Cost by Tens of Billions Relative to Earlier Version

Megabill Takes Cap Off Unprecedented Private School Voucher Tax Credit, Potentially Raising Cost by Tens of Billions Relative to Earlier Version

The tax and spending legislation signed on Friday by President Trump will create an unprecedented, dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit designed to support private and religious K-12 schools. The credit will fully reimburse donors for the first $1,700 they give to groups that hand out tuition vouchers to attend private schools. There is no other cause—not children’s hospitals, veterans’ groups, or disaster relief—that taxpayers can contribute to and see the entire cost of their contribution bankrolled by the federal government.

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Public Funds Belong in Public Schools
Toolkits and Guides Honesty for Ohio Education Toolkits and Guides Honesty for Ohio Education

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.

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The People Have Spoken: Private School Vouchers Have A Long Track Record Of Failure At The Ballot Box

The People Have Spoken: Private School Vouchers Have A Long Track Record Of Failure At The Ballot Box

Voters in Arizona in November rejected a plan to expand private-school vouchers in the state by 65 to 35 percent. The lopsided results might have been a surprise to school-voucher boosters, but they shouldn’t have been. Vouchers and other forms of private-school aid plans have been getting trounced at the ballot box since 1967.

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

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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Kentucky Voters Buried Private School Vouchers. One More Idea Must Die to Truly Reinvest in Our Public Schools
Bills Legislation and Litigation Jason Bailey Bills Legislation and Litigation Jason Bailey

Kentucky Voters Buried Private School Vouchers. One More Idea Must Die to Truly Reinvest in Our Public Schools

Despite the best efforts of anti-public school activists and the deep pockets of out-of-state billionaires, Kentucky voters resoundingly defeated the proposed constitutional amendment allowing public dollars to be diverted to private schools. The amendment was rejected in all 120 Kentucky counties and at the hands of a unique bipartisan coalition of rural, urban and suburban voters.

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States Should Bolster, Not Undermine, Education Gains Made with ESSER Funds
Draining Funds From Public Education Joanna LeFebvre Draining Funds From Public Education Joanna LeFebvre

States Should Bolster, Not Undermine, Education Gains Made with ESSER Funds

Over half of states divert public dollars away from public schools to private schools through school vouchers. In 2024, 14 states enacted new, or expanded existing, school voucher programs, and Colorado and Kentucky are considering legalizing school vouchers through ballot measures. For example, Florida will spend almost $4 billion on its school voucher program this year, an amount that could easily replace Florida’s total annual ESSER loss if invested in public, rather than private, schools.

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Anti-Voucher Victories in 2024: A Conversation with Education Advocates from MS, NJ, ID, TX and TN
Personal Narratives Blogs Webinars Public Funds Public Schools Personal Narratives Blogs Webinars Public Funds Public Schools

Anti-Voucher Victories in 2024: A Conversation with Education Advocates from MS, NJ, ID, TX and TN

Although private school voucher programs continue to spread across the country, many states have remained voucher-free or held off significant expansions. In this webinar experienced advocates discussed the work of their organizations and numerous allies to oppose voucher legislation. They offered insight, strategies, and tips for others working against school privatization in their states, with plenty of time for Q&A.

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