Lifeline scholarships won’t get into this year’s budget without Democratic support, and so far Shapiro and state House Democrats - who have a one-seat majority in their chamber - have both proposed budgets that did not include them. And if we want to get at root causes, we have to educate kids.” “Educated kids don’t want to commit crimes. “Educated kids don’t want to go to jail,” he said. Opponents of the scholarships disagree with that understanding and note that state budgeting priorities could change year over year.Ĭarter, who said he has been meeting with state lawmakers on both sides of the issue, described himself as agnostic about public versus private education, but said he bases his support for lifeline scholarships on the experiences he and family members have had in low-achieving Philadelphia schools. They include organizations that offer financial assistance so children can attend Catholic and Jewish day schools, an organization that coordinates with businesses to provide Jewish day school scholarships in exchange for state tax breaks, and a PAC that gets most of its funding from billionaire Jeff Yass, one of the commonwealth’s most prominent donors and a staunch advocate for the state to fund alternatives to public schools.Ĭalifornia-based talent manager Troy Carter, who grew up in West Philadelphia, spearheaded the formation of the coalition and oversaw its advertising efforts.Ĭarter told Spotlight PA that he heard about lifeline scholarships several months ago, and found them appealing because if the commonwealth appropriates extra money for schools, he believes the scholarships wouldn’t necessarily take money away from public education. One Way Out is backed by several groups that have championed public school alternatives like state-funded vouchers. It plans to keep running ads through the June 30 budget deadline.
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The newly formed group, One Way Out, launched a series of TV and digital ads this month that urge viewers to contact lawmakers and register their support for lifeline scholarships, arguing that many Pennsylvania students are “trapped” in underperforming schools. This is the program that a well-heeled coalition is now trying to promote to lawmakers. The bill does not specify how much money would be available annually, but it does state that a student could get between $2,500 and $15,000 per year, depending on grade and whether the student needs special education services. If a family opted to use one, the Pennsylvania Treasury would put money into an account for the student to use on nonpublic school tuition, associated fees, or special education fees. These scholarships would be financed with state money and awarded on a first-come-first-served basis to eligible students who apply.
In Pennsylvania, one prominent voucher scheme is known as the lifeline scholarship program.įirst introduced in the last legislative session and re-introduced last week, the bill would require districts with schools categorized as “ low-achieving” to annually notify families that their kids qualify for lifeline scholarships. “Funding private schools will not move the Commonwealth a single dollar closer to its constitutional mandate, because that mandate is clear: The General Assembly must support and maintain a contemporary, effective public education system that is available to every child in the Commonwealth, regardless of their school district’s local wealth,” the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center wrote in a joint memo addressed to “interested parties.” Two of the organizations that successfully sued over the way Pennsylvania’s education system is funded have publicly maintained that any overhaul that includes vouchers would not pass constitutional muster. Shapiro and several other key Democratic state House leaders are notable exceptions. Many Democrats oppose vouchers completely, arguing that the approach weakens public schools by diverting funding and undermines the goal of creating a system that can serve all students. Many Republicans, and some Democrats who represent districts with lots of low-achieving public schools, have argued that vouchers should be part of that fix, and have championed them as a way to give parents more control over their kids’ education.
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