Pennsylvania’s school choice programs have opened a door for thousands of low and middle income families to get their children out of the state’s flagging public schools, according to a new report. Yet, Democrats are pushing a platform that opposes school choice programs like the one in Pennsylvania.
Over 77,000 K-12 scholarships have been awarded under the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), according to a September report from the Commonwealth Foundation. Pennsylvania Democrats attempted to strip additional funding for the initiatives, and the party’s national platform declares that school choice programs are “schemes.”
The scholarships are in such high demand that the state had to use “arbitrary program caps,” denying 63,000 student applications, according to the report. In the 2021-2022 school year, there were over 100,000 applications submitted.
Pennsylvania’s EITC was enacted in 2001, while the OSTC was enacted in 2012. Democrats in Pennsylvania criticized the OSTC in 2023, claiming that it is “discriminatory” by picking and choosing the recipients of the scholarships, The Associated Press reported.
“This landmark study reveals how important these scholarships are for Pennsylvania’s kids,” Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation and the report’s author, said in a press release. “Tax credit scholarships provide thousands of low-income students access to high-quality schools of their choice. These scholarships are also improving academic outcomes. According to the study, tax credit scholarship beneficiaries routinely outperform their peers, all while graduating at higher rates than their public school counterparts.”
There are students in every county in Pennsylvania who are attending school on EITC or OSTC scholarships, those of which routinely outperform their public school peers, the report states. As of 2023, Pennsylvania schools were underfunded by over $6 billion, with the biggest shortfalls being in the state’s poorest districts, according to the Public Interest Law Center.
The majority of families receiving scholarship programs are below the median income level of $75,335, with the average income being between $41,463 and $73,100 annually.
Democrats attempted to cut funding for the EITC and OSTC programs in late 2023 as part of the state’s budget bill, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania House GOP. However, the state legislature passed a $150,000,000 increase for the programs, which Gov. Josh Shapiro signed in December 2023, according to a press release from the Commonwealth Foundation.
“The goal of legislation like this … is to push vulnerable students and families into private and religious schools where they check their constitutional rights at the door,” Democratic Sen. Lindsey Williams said on the Senate floor, according to Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Students who qualified received an average of $2,780 in scholarships, and the private schools that serve students have a tuition under $10,000 per year, according to the report. The projected amount of low- to middle-income students who will benefit from the EITC scholarships in 2024 is over 100,000.
“This report demonstrates high demand and significant results,” Nathan Benefield, senior vice president for Commonwealth Foundation, said in the press release. “If the past is any indication, demand for tax credit scholarships will continue to rise, showing the remarkable success of the program and the desire of parents to find the best educational option for their children.”
For the 2021-2022 school year, the number of K-12 student scholarship applications that were submitted is 141,452, which is almost 3,000 more than the previous year, the report states. This amount was the highest on record.
“EITC is Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program that gives thousands of low- to middle-income students access to high-quality schools of their choice,” Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation and the report’s author, told the DCNF. “Most families receiving tax credit scholarships earn below the median income for their respective counties as well as for Pennsylvania, with the average family earning between $41,000 to $73,000 annually. Nearly 100,000 students are expected to receive tax credit scholarships in 2025. While Pennsylvania spends $21,985 per public school student per year, private schools educate students at a fraction of the cost, with the average private school tuition across the state being $12,000 per year. Pennsylvania families want and need more options beyond the traditional public school setting.”
Shapiro’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from the report’s author.
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