PA Gov. Shapiro cancels $100M private school vouchers for low-income children.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has made an exciting decision regarding the state’s annual spending plan. He has decided to ditch a $100 million private school voucher program, which was causing a deadlock between Republican and Democratic leaders.

In a statement released on July 5, Mr. Shapiro announced his decision to pull the program, known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success scholarship program, which aimed to pay for tuition at private and religious schools. This announcement came shortly after the state’s budget for 2023–2024 was approved in a 117–86 vote by both Democrats and Republicans.

Despite the exclusion of the voucher plan, the Democratic governor believes that the new $45 billion spending bill, HB 611, still addresses the most pressing issues faced by Pennsylvanians. His office highlights that the budget includes historic increases in Basic Education Funding (BEF), with over $567 million allocated, as well as $100 million for underfunded schools.

Furthermore, the budget provides $125 million for school safety and environmental improvement grants, $50 million for special education funding, and nearly $50 million for free school breakfasts, among other things.

However, the private school vouchers program became a point of contention between leaders on both sides of the aisle. This program aimed to fund private school scholarships for students in low-achieving public school districts.

School Voucher Program Explained

Under this plan, eligible “low achieving” students would have received state-funded vouchers ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 per year. These vouchers would cover the costs of tuition, tutoring, and educational expenses at nonpublic schools. The distribution of vouchers would be on a first-come, first-served basis, with an income cap of less than 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Opposition to the program came from Democrats, teachers unions, and school boards, who expressed concerns about its high cost implications and potential diversion of funds from non-private schools. They also pointed out that similar programs already exist for low-income students, such as the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs.

Despite the opposition, Mr. Shapiro and other advocates argued that the program would provide parents with the opportunity to give their children a better education. The Republican-led state Senate even approved the program just last week.

However, in his announcement on Wednesday, Mr. Shapiro revealed that he had ultimately scrapped the full 0 million appropriation for the program.