The New Jersey-based Education Law Center (ELC) and Public Funds Public Schools (PFPS), the national anti-voucher campaign that ELC directs, sent a two-page policy brief to New Jersey lawmakers urging them to reject proposed legislation that would establish the state’s first private school voucher program.

The bill, A4144/S3035, would create an income-based tax credit voucher program, diverting public dollars to private schools without any meaningful quality or accountability standards. Dozens of state and national organizations recently voiced their opposition to the bill in an open letter to the Legislature and Governor Phil Murphy.

The ELC/PFPS policy brief explains that this type of voucher operates by providing tax credits to individuals and donors who send money to third-party organizations that hand out vouchers for private school tuition. It also details how voucher program costs quickly rise, and that vouchers are unconstitutional and unpopular with voters. The brief concludes that New Jersey should focus on continuing to meet its constitutional obligations to public school students, not divert public funding to private education.

“For over fifty years, ELC has defended New Jersey students’ right to adequately and equitably funded public schools,” said Jessica Levin, ELC’s Litigation Director and Director of the PFPS campaign. “Siphoning public funds to a private school voucher program would be contrary to this constitutional guarantee and would threaten New Jersey’s cherished vision of high-quality, inclusive education for all.”

Find additional PFPS tools for advocates, including reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, and an extensive series of webinars, on the Advocacy webpage. Visit the Research webpage for studies showing the harms of private school voucher programs on students and public schools. Use the PFPS bill tracker to monitor voucher legislation.

Join the PFPS and ELC mailing lists to stay informed about our work, and follow @pfpsorg and @edlawcenter on Facebook and X.