PFPS Debunks Trump Administration’s Misleading Claims About the Federal Voucher Program
The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of the Treasury recently released a fact sheet on the voucher program contained in the federal budget reconciliation bill passed last year. But the fact sheet misrepresents the truth about vouchers. It is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to promote the dangerous federal voucher scheme by making false claims and distorting its potential impacts.
To ensure that the public understands the harms of vouchers and the dangers for states that opt in to the federal voucher program, Public Funds Public Schools has debunked six falsehoods in the Trump administration’s so-called “fact” sheet.
The federal voucher program will divert billions of federal tax dollars from the Treasury to provide a 100% tax credit, up to $1,700 annually, to individuals who make contributions to scholarship granting organizations, which will pass out vouchers that can be used to pay tuition at private and religious schools. Research shows that such private school voucher programs harm students, schools, and state budgets by diverting public funds away from the public schools that welcome all students to private entities that don’t produce better educational outcomes, have little accountability to the public, and often blatantly discriminate against children and families.
The federal voucher program is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine public education, the cornerstone of our democracy.
“The U.S. Department of Education’s attempt to promote vouchers with false and misleading claims is directly contrary to its vital and longstanding role in ensuring equal access to educational opportunity for all students,” said ELC staff attorney Katrina Reichert. “States should take note and stand up for students and public schools by opting out of the federal voucher scheme.”
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