WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans want the scholarship to secure up to $5 billion a year to support families Private and Religious Schoolsan unprecedented effort to use public funds to pay for private education.
Proposal, part of a Budget adjustment legislation Released on Monday and the president advances Donald Trump’s The agenda is to establish a “universal school choice” by providing families across the country with the option of providing children with a different education than those offered in local public schools. Almost all households will qualify except for incomes of more than three times the local median.
Supporters of private school vouchers say they want to give families assigned to low-performing schools more options.
“Giving parents the ability to choose the best education for their children makes it possible (American dreams),” said Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidysponsored a similar proposal in the Senate.
The program is funded by donors who can donate money or shares. They then receive 100% of their contributions in the form of tax discounts. Stockholders can avoid paying taxes collected when they donate or transfer shares.
Critics denounced the proposal, saying it would help the wealthy at the expense of a public school system that would serve the vast majority of students. They said it would set up a tax shelter and allow savvy investors to make money under the guise of donations.
All of this is coming as the Trump administration Reduce the education sector And reduce resources to public schools including Mental Health Grant $1 billion and Funding for teacher training.
“This is a serious threat,” said Sasha Pudersky of AASA, the School Principals Association. She added that having a voucher program often leads to supporting families who pay for private schools. “It opens the door even wider to what’s already plaguing national voucher programs, ramping and abuse.”
Similar tax scholarships and private school voucher programs have surged in red-invited states like Texas, passing the billion-dollar program. Public school advocates are worried that the program will hurt enrollment and per-student funding, leaving fewer resources for families who ultimately choose public schools.
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