David McCormick: How we can have school choice for everyone, not just rich people
Four governors have announced their states will opt in to school choice tax credits that were passed into law this summer. The senator from Pennsylvania argues the commonwealth should, too.
You would think that freshmen at a top-ranked university could do basic math. You would be wrong. According to a recent analysis at the University of California, San Diego, one in eight cannot meet minimum high school standards. This story is repeating itself across America. As a proud product of Pennsylvania’s public schools, it pains me to say: Our nation’s public education system is failing miserably.
Fortunately, we have an opportunity to begin to fix it, thanks to the school choice tax credit passed into law in the Working Families Tax Cut Act in July.
The trick? Governors must opt in. So far, four governors — from North Carolina, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Nebraska — have signed up or signaled they will. Will Pennsylvania support giving free money to families? Or will it double down on a failing educational system that disproportionately hurts the poorest among us?
Access to a good education levels the playing field, giving students an equal opportunity to chase the American dream. It forms kids into citizens. And it not only gives students book smarts, but also the ability to wrestle with hard problems at a time when every American must be ready to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
The inverse is equally true. Trapping students in bad schools robs them of the opportunity promised to each generation and unduly harms people of color and students from lower-income families.
According to a 2024 national assessment, 45% of 12th graders could not complete even basic math. Roughly one-third of 12th graders could not read at a basic level. Pennsylvania students performed similarly: 37% of eighth graders did not have basic math skills, and 31% lacked basic reading ability. Students of color and those from low-income families struggled most.
The COVID-19 pandemic made this all so much worse and set back a generation of Pennsylvanians. The commonwealth’s children have still not recovered from the damage done by school closures foisted on them by the national teachers’ unions.
Not only are we falling behind as a nation, we’re also falling behind other states. Florida, Arkansas, and others have busted the education monopoly. By embracing this new federal tax credit, Pennsylvania’s leaders can follow suit.
One of my first acts in the U.S. Senate was to cosponsor the Educational Choice for Children Act. One of my proudest moments was voting to pass this school choice provision into law alongside childcare tax credits for working families.
The bill established a $1,700 tax credit for donations to organizations that give educational scholarships to families. The program offers families true opportunity, as these stipends can be used to pay tuition, hire tutors, buy school supplies, and otherwise expand educational opportunities for students. It could inject tens of billions of new funding for our schools.
Not everyone will agree with me. Some may say we shouldn’t take money away from public schools. Well, this tax credit doesn’t redirect any existing federal or state funds. It allows Americans to support other Americans’ right to a good education.
It also recognizes that a certain class of people already have the privilege of school choice: those who can afford it. If Pennsylvania opts into this tax credit, it will provide low- and middle-class families with the same opportunity.
Others might question the quality or accountability of private and charter schools. They have it wrong. The public education system has failed for decades without consequence. School choice introduces accountability through competition. It lets parents choose what’s best for their children instead of being forced into failing schools by fate of geography.
Finally, I understand the fears that promoting private and charter schools risks hurting teachers, but what I’m proposing is entirely pro-teacher. As the son of two Pennsylvania public school teachers and the product of the commonwealth’s public school system, I have immense respect and admiration for educators.
This tax credit doesn’t redirect any federal or state funds. It allows Americans to support other Americans’ right to a good education.
The problem is the system, not the teachers. Our public school system too often puts the interests of the system over the interests of the students — and educators. Teachers do the Lord’s work and deserve our thanks. They also deserve to work in schools that value their talent. This program would put more money into education and provide greater choice to teachers, too.
There are many details to iron out still, but this program has the potential to transform education in Pennsylvania at a moment of incredible change and consequence. It will both allow Pennsylvanians to support their neighbors and invite national investment in our commonwealth’s future.
The choice is clear. Pennsylvania families have been offered a door to a better education for their children. Will the governor and our leaders in Harrisburg open it?
David McCormick is a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.