AFC Condemns Pennsylvania House Vote to Curtail Education Freedom
DALLAS, Texas — The American Federation for Children condemns an attempt by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to curtail the Education Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). The bill passed on Monday would limit school choice in the state after 25 years of transformative opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania students.
HB 2632 would end EITC and OSTC in their current forms, replacing them with programs that limit parent choices while adding burdensome regulations to schools and scholarship granting organizations.
Approximately 100,000 K-12 students in Pennsylvania receive EITC or OSTC scholarships, with the highest concentrations in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Polling consistently shows Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support school choice across political, geographic, and demographic categories. Overall, 71% of respondents support the concept of school choice, and 70% support a Pennsylvania bill to expand school choice through scholarships.
Regionally, school choice support is even stronger in the areas where kids would be impacted most, with 76% support in Philadelphia for school choice generally, and 76% support for school choice for low- and middle-income families.
AFC thanks House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, along with all House members who stood in opposition to this legislation, for their commitment to empowering Pennsylvania families with education freedom.
Statement from Ryan Cantrell, Chief State Strategy Officer, American Federation for Children:
“This is an ill-advised attempt by the Pennsylvania House to limit school choice for families who need it most. Pennsylvania voters want to expand school choice, and actions contrary to that are an insult to families who simply want their children to have access to the best education possible. We encourage legislative leaders to do the right thing and reject all attempts to jeopardize the Education Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit on which 100,000 students depend.”
About AFC:
The American Federation for Children is the nation’s largest school choice advocacy organization and the most successful force for education freedom in America, passing over 200 laws across 32 states throughout our history. Our affiliated Super PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is the only nationwide Super PAC focused on advancing school choice.
