Federal Lawmakers Flirt with Universal School Choice

During a rally in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump promised to support universal school choice. And with the possible passage of the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), he might make good on that promise.

Originally, the ECCA proposed establishing $10 billion in tax-credit scholarships nationwide. Federal lawmakers have also folded a $5 billion version of ECCA into the recently passed budget reconciliation package, better known as Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Initial projections estimate that more than 1 million students would qualify for this award nationally. In Pennsylvania, ECCA could provide up to $10 million in scholarships to students and families.

The ECCA relies on tax-free charitable donations. The program would establish designated scholarship organizations to manage the scholarships. Businesses and philanthropists can donate up to $5,000 each to designated scholarship organizations.

This model may sound familiar to Pennsylvanians. ECCA mirrors the Keystone State’s two successful tax-credit scholarship programs: the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC).

EITC and OSTC support thousands of Pennsylvania students. Students in 66 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties rely on these programs to help fund their education. Most students come from low- to middle-income households. Moreover, case studies often demonstrate how these students successfully enroll in and graduate from college.

School choice is extremely popular in Pennsylvania. Polling from the Commonwealth Foundation shows that eight in ten Pennsylvanians support expanding EITC and OSTC. (Additional polling indicates 83 percent of Pennsylvania voters back the ECCA.)

There is only one downfall to EITC and OSTC scholarships: There are not enough of them. Last year, Pennsylvania awarded more than 85,000 scholarships but also—thanks to arbitrary program caps—denied nearly 80,000 applicants. Though lawmakers have raised the program caps several times in the last few years, the state still turns down thousands of students yearly. Until lawmakers remove the program caps, demand will continue to outpace supply.

ECCA is one such solution to cover that gap. And this first-of-its-kind legislation would be the first significant step toward national universal school choice.

“We are one step closer to bringing school choice to every state in America,” Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, said in a statement. “Ultimately, every child, especially from lower-income families, should have access to the school of their choice, and this legislation is the only way to make that happen.”

Tell your federal lawmakers to support the ECCA today.