Congress is currently considering the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), which would create a 100% federal tax credit for individuals and corporations who donate to private scholarship-granting organizations. The ECCA could potentially divert over $10 billion in taxpayer dollars each year — funds that should support public services — toward private schools. This program would be devastating for our nation’s students, educators, and public schools.

The ECCA effectively establishes a national school voucher program, subverting the will of voters in multiple states that have rejected school voucher proposals, including Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska, and most recently, Mississippi. Regardless of political affiliation, most voters prefer increasing federal funding for public schools over private school vouchers.

Why is ECCA bad for students?

1. ECCA would open the door to discrimination. Private schools do not have to comply with the same civil rights laws as public schools. These laws ensure that students of color, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, LGBTQ+ students, and students from different religious backgrounds can access an education. Private schools can discriminate against students in the admissions process and in the classroom. For example, a review of Wisconsin’s voucher programs found that around 15% of participating schools had admissions policies or statements that openly discriminate against students with disabilities.
2. ECCA would reduce transparency and accountability in education. The ECCA includes limited guardrails to ensure scholarship-granting organizations and private schools receiving vouchers are serving students fairly and effectively. There are no requirements for oversight or public reporting for spending or how students receiving vouchers perform. Arizona’s voucher program, which similarly had few transparency and accountability requirements, has seen numerous instances of fraud and misuse.
3. ECCA would disadvantage rural students. More than 50% of students in rural areas do not have access to a private school within five miles of their home, and over a third of students in rural areas do not have a private school within 10 miles of their home. Rural districts and states with large rural populations would benefit the least from the program.
4. ECCA would hurt students from low-income backgrounds. Under ECCA’s current eligibility guidelines, an estimated 90% of US households, including families in some of the highest income brackets, would be eligible. For example, families in Loudoun County, VA who make $500,000 a year would still be eligible to receive a voucher. Because voucher programs rarely cover the full tuition cost, low-income families cannot make up the difference and are unable to take advantage of the program. School voucher programs often benefit students who already attend private schools or come from more resourced backgrounds. For example, 95% of voucher recipients in Arkansas did not previously attend a public school.
5. ECCA would damage student outcomes. A school voucher does not automatically grant students access to any private school nor does it guarantee students will receive a high-quality education. Voucher programs in Louisiana, DC, Indiana, and Ohio had negatively impacted student achievement. Voucher programs drive the emergence of “voucher schools” or “pop-up schools,” which oftentimes don’t have the financial stability to sustain long-term operations and close within a few years, disrupting students’ education and forcing them to switch schools. In Milwaukee, a study found that 41% of all private schools accepting vouchers closed.

Congress is considering passing ECCA while simultaneously weighing proposals to cut Medicaid, SNAP, Pell Grants, and other programs. If Congress passes ECCA and these cuts to critical services, they make their priorities clear. They would rather provide tax breaks to the wealthy and divert public funds to private institutions than fund public programs and services vital to our communities.

If we want to improve education for our children, the solution is not vouchers for private schools. The solution is to ensure every child has access to effective educators, high-quality instructional materials, supportive learning environments, and strong college and career pathways. The solution is investing in and holding accountable our public schools, which serve 90% of America’s students, regardless of their background, income, or disability status.