Josh Shapiro Keeps Betraying Poor Pennsylvania Children

Originally published by The Wall Street Journal.

Immanuel Christian School is in dire straits, but not for lack of students who want to go there. Demand is high for the K-12 school’s limited number of seats, reflecting the sorry state of nearby public schools. Yet in this predominantly low-income and nonwhite eastern Pennsylvania community, many families struggle to afford tuition, and the school nearly shut down permanently in December. Not long ago, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro promised to pass a scholarship program to help students in struggling communities afford schools like Immanuel. Now the governor seems willing to abandon these students and this school to run for president.

While campaigning in 2022, Mr. Shapiro promised to pass Lifeline Scholarships. The scholarships would give low-income children in failing public schools between $5,000 and $10,000 to pay for safe and high-quality private schools. In these failing public schools, only 10% of students are proficient in math, and only 33% are proficient in English. In Hazleton, six of the seven public schools are failing academically, with the last one not far behind.

But Mr. Shapiro still hasn’t signed Lifeline Scholarships into law. While the Republican-controlled state Senate is on board, the leaders of the narrowly held Democratic majority in the House have balked. As the leader of their party and the state’s chief executive, Mr. Shapiro could use his bully pulpit to pressure his fellow Democrats. Instead, he has caved at the first sign of disagreement. Despite continuing to mention the scholarships, including calling them “unfinished business” in 2024, the governor hasn’t lifted a finger to keep the promise that helped sweep him into the state’s highest office.