Governor Shapiro, Give PA Kids Access to a New Scholarship Program

Originally published by The Philadelphia Citizen.

Last Thursday, educators, advocates, lawmakers, and students gathered to deliver a simple yet profound message: Gov. Josh Shapiro must opt in to a new, first-of-its-kind federal scholarship program.

The Empowering Parents press event, hosted by Invest in Education, featured several speakers who discussed and promoted the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). A byproduct of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act, the FSTC allows individuals to make dollar-for-dollar tax-deductible donations (up to $1,700) to scholarship-granting organizations nationwide. Students receiving these scholarships can use them to cover a wide array of education-related expenses—everything from private school tuition to after-school tutoring.

And the anti-voucher crowd can rest easily. These scholarships rely entirely on private money and do not take a single cent away from public schools or the state. Rather, this program adds more to existing K–12 funding. In fact, public school students also qualify for FSTC scholarships to cover their own school expenses.

Read more at The Philadelphia Citizen.