October 28, 2026

Federal Voucher Tax Credit Press Conference
Remarks from Denise Forte, president and CEO of EdTrust

Good afternoon.

My name is Denise Forte, and I am the president and CEO of EdTrust, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to dismantling racial and economic inequities in education. We work to ensure that every student, no matter their race, income, ZIP code, immigrant or disability status, gets a public education that develops their unique talents and helps them reach for their boldest dreams.

EdTrust opposes the Federal Voucher Tax Credit because it violates that commitment to students, especially those most in need. It steers tax dollars to private schools that have no obligation to serve vulnerable students and to wealthy families who do not need them.

Beginning in January, wealthy individuals and companies will start giving up to $1,700 to scholarship-granting organizations — and will be fully reimbursed by the federal government. These tax credits could siphon $26 billion from the Treasury by 2030 — money that will have to come from somewhere. Through draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, proposed cuts to Title I, and the administration’s illegal attempts to dismantle the Department of Education, conservatives have made their goals clear: They are coming for our students, and for the promise of public education.

There are some who will tell you that roughly 90% of families qualify for this benefit — and that means this voucher program is inclusive. But that so-called “inclusivity” includes households earning about half a million dollars in some communities.

And who will private schools include? We have evidence from state programs. In Arkansas, 95% of voucher recipients had not previously attended public schools. Most recently, an Ohio appeals court ruled against the state’s voucher program because private schools were not serving the students the program was allegedly designed to support.

That Ohio court ruling goes to another important point: unlike public schools, private schools are not bound by the same civil rights protections or obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The fact is that tax dollars can be used to exclude students from education instead of making sure high-quality education reaches every student.

And even when students gain admission to a private school, a voucher does not guarantee a better education. Research on voucher programs in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Washington, D.C. found that students who used vouchers to transfer to private schools experienced significant losses in math and reading achievement.

Some families feel let down by their public schools. The Federal Voucher Tax Credit is being sold as a way to give those families more quote-unquote “educational freedom” and better access to high-quality educational opportunities; but that’s not the reality.

The federal voucher program is simply not designed for every student, regardless of investment or commitment. Congress and governors need to reject the funneling of taxpayer dollars into private, exclusionary institutions.

Thank you.