John,

Public schools are under attack. In the budget bill that recently passed the House, some provisions would divert taxpayer dollars away from public schools and funnel them into private school voucher programs. The House bill adds unprecedented dollar-for-dollar tax breaks for donations to private school voucher programs that further favor the wealthy. These schemes do nothing to improve education, but they do defund and destabilize the very schools that serve the vast majority of our children.

Privatization advocates are pushing for a national private school voucher program that would create a multi-billion-dollar handout to corporations, private schools, and the wealthy, while decimating public schools, especially those in rural areas, that are already grossly underfunded.

Voucher programs are a wolf in sheep’s clothing. While they promise “choice,” the real result is exclusion. Private schools accepting vouchers don’t have to follow the same civil rights protections or academic standards as public schools, and they often reject students based on disability, religion, gender identity, or academic performance.¹ Meanwhile, public schools are left with fewer resources and greater challenges. We need to strengthen public education, not weaken it by siphoning off funding.

Every child deserves a great public school in their neighborhood, regardless of their race, income, or ZIP code. Instead of diverting funds to school vouchers, that money is better spent on investing in public schools.

Send a message to Congress urging them to reject a national school voucher program and invest in public schools today.

We’ve seen this play out on the state level: lawmakers divert unprecedented amounts of money away from public schools and towards private ones, causing public schools to close—hitting working class Black and brown communities, and rural school districts the hardest.

Evidence overwhelmingly supports the claim that private school vouchers are a failed policy. Instead of focusing on private school vouchers that benefit only small numbers of students, lawmakers must invest in solutions that advance opportunity for the 90% of U.S. students who attend public schools.² These solutions include supporting the equitable full funding of public schools, providing higher teacher pay, and guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for all students. Instead of giving tax breaks to the rich, let’s invest in our children and improve our public schools.

The bill sent to the Senate supercharges incentives for the wealthy to donate to private school voucher programs by making those contributions 100 percent deductible!—and providing this unprecedented give-away at the same time the bill reduces incentives to donate to other charities like hospitals or anti-hunger programs.³

Join us in calling on Congress to reject funding for private school vouchers in the budget bill. Send a message to your senators now.

Thanks for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Rockville Catholic school’s hairstyle policies face scrutiny for racial discrimination
² National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Public School Enrollment. Condition of Education.
³ House Tax Bill Enlists the Wealthy to Spread Private School Vouchers