House Republicans propose $5 billion for private school vouchers
WASHINGTON AP House Republicans want to set aside up to billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools an unprecedented effort to use community money to pay for private schooling The proposal part of a budget reconciliation bill disclosed Monday would advance President Donald Trump s agenda of establishing universal school choice by providing families nationwide the option to give their children an tuition different from the one offered in their local community school Nearly all households would qualify except those making more than three times the local median income Supporters of private school vouchers say they want to give families assigned to low-performing schools more choices Giving parents the ability to choose the best learning for their child makes the American Dream accomplishable noted Republican Louisiana Sen Bill Cassidy who sponsored a similar proposal in the Senate The initiative would be funded by donors who could contribute money or stock In turn they would receive of the contribution back in the form of a discount on their tax bills It would allow stock holders to avoid paying taxes that would be levied if they donated or transferred the stock Critics decried the proposal saying it would aid the wealthy at the expense of the populace school systems that serve the overwhelming majority of students They stated it would set up a tax shelter allowing savvy investors to make money under the guise of a donation All of this comes as the Trump administration downsizes the Tuition Department and cuts tools to population schools including billion in mental soundness grants and funding for coach training This is a key threat stated Sasha Pudelski of AASA the School Superintendents Association She added that states that have voucher programs often end up assisting families that were already paying for private school It s opening the door even wider to what has already plagued voucher programs around the country which is rampant waste fraud and abuse Similar tax-credit scholarship and private school voucher programs have proliferated in red-leaning states like Texas which just passed a billion initiative Residents school advocates worry the programs hurt enrollment and per-pupil funding ultimately leaving fewer materials for families that choose community schools The Associated Press schooling coverage receives financial aid from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org Source
