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According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, school vouchers “raise the risk of harm to students, do little to expand opportunity, and cut funding to public schools.”  As extremist members of Congress continue to advocate for The Education Choice for Children Act, it is especially important that we continue to fight back against voucher systems that drain money from our public schools. The bill would take $10 billion per year from taxpayers to create a federally funded voucher program. The “tax credit” system outlined in this bill provides individuals and corporations with a dollar-for-dollar credit, which strays from typical tax credit structure and instead acts as a mechanism that transfers public education funds to private schools.  

Efforts to minimize public school funding have enjoyed a great deal of success this year. Advocates of these measures understand that the word “vouchers” has a negative connotation, so instead use terms such as “education savings accounts”, “opportunity scholarships”, or “tuition tax credits” to push the same problematic agenda. Regardless of terminology all of these items function the same way.  

A great deal of research documents the harms inflicted by vouchers. Most importantly, data shows that the vast majority of students receiving vouchers already attended private schools, and that these policies largely benefit the wealthy. Many voucher programs do not protect students from discrimination in admission for reasons such as religion. Additionally, students using vouchers to attend private schools often don’t receive the same rights as they are afforded in public schools, such as those outlined under legislation like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Every Students Succeeds Act. A 2017 Government Accountability Office report showed that 83% of students in voucher programs for students with disabilities across the country either were not properly informed of a change in their rights or were given inaccurate information. Along with the civil rights and religious freedom concerns, these programs drain money from public schools.

Texans Fight Back (and win!) 

In the GOP-led Texas house, an amendment to remove the school voucher program from the education funding bill was approved by a majority of House members. This was a major win for equity advocates as many Republicans and Democrats stood together against vouchers due to the detrimental impact on public education that this would have.  

Plumbers: Public school teachers teamed up with an unlikely ally in the fight against vouchers. Texas plumbers joined the fight against vouchers by training to become substitute teachers so full-time teachers could protest privatization efforts.  

Grandparents: Grandparents in Texas teamed up to create Grandparents for Public Schools, an advocacy group fighting to ensure that children have access to a quality education. The grandparents protested vouchers by handing out nearly 5,000 letters to lawmakers explaining the importance of fully funding public education.  

Events & Resources for Action

Public Funds Public Schools: Public Funds Public Schools is an organization fighting to keep public funds in public schools. They have advocacy tools such as bill trackers, fact sheets, and policy briefs available.  

The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. It strongly opposes vouchers and has information about the negative impacts of them on its website.  

Further Reading: The Year in Review: Dark Money Vouchers Are Having a Moment,Josh Cowan, Dec. 8th, 2023