On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) setting out school choice as a major priority for the Trump Administration and the Department of Education. The school choice executive order calls for the Education Department to prepare guidance for states within 60 days on how they can tap into existing federal funding streams to bolster K-12 education choice programs. The Secretary of Education is also directed to include “education freedom” as a priority in competitive grant competitions, and other agencies are directed to review their programs for opportunities to use funding for choice options, including private, faith-based or public charter schools.
Additionally, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) along with Reps. Burgess Owens (R-UT) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) reintroduced The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). The bill would provide up to $10 billion in annual tax credits to individuals or businesses who donate to scholarship granting organizations. It is meant to incentivize charitable donations to school choice programs.
“Parents want to see their child succeed. Giving them the ability to make decisions over their child’s education puts that child’s needs first,” said Dr. Cassidy. “More freedom empowers parents and allows American children to thrive in school.” It is believed that lawmakers will push to include this bill in the upcoming budget reconciliation proposal.
ACTE does not support legislation that would divert resources from public education, and is working in coalition with other education organizations to protect funding for public schools. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Jimmy Koch ([email protected]).
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