Democrats, unions kill school voucher program in Pennsylvania

A sad but not surprising story today out of Pennsylvania. The state still does not have a state budget despite the fact that the Fiscal Year 2024 started in Pennsylvania last Saturday. Pennsylvania has a divided government with a Senate controlled by Republicans and a state House narrowly controlled by Democrats (102 Democrats to 101 Republicans). The state also has a Democratic governor, however Gov. Josh Shapiro has expressed support for school voucher programs. He has taken heat for that stance for teachers unions in the state.

Last week the state Senate passed an overall budget which included a program called Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS).

The Republican-controlled Senate passed a bill Thursday night that set up the program.

It then included $100 million in funding for PASS in the $45.55 billion spending bill it approved Friday.

What is the PASS program? It was a voucher program specifically aimed at students trapped in the state’s worst performing schools. It was based on the framework of a bill introduced in the state Senate last year.

The idea gained traction in Pennsylvania last legislative session when state Sen. Judy Ward (R., Blair) introduced a bill to create so-called lifeline scholarships. It didn’t pass then, but Ward reintroduced it this year with tweaks.

“This legislation will give more children attending low-performing school districts the opportunity to attend school that better meets their needs,” Ward wrote in a memo to senators…

Voucher money would be available only to students who attend low-achieving public schools.

Parents with children enrolled in one of these schools would be notified annually that they are eligible for the scholarship. Qualifying students who apply would be picked on a first-come, first-served basis, and would be able to only use the scholarship money for tuition at a private school, related fees, or special education fees at a private school…

The bill would provide $2,500 in annual grants for students in half-day kindergarten, $5,000 for students attending full-day kindergarten through eighth grade, and $10,000 for high school students. Students who require special education services would qualify for up to $15,000 annually.

In addition to being limited to students in low-performing schools, the PASS program was also means tested. Only families making less than 250% of the federal poverty line, which works out to $75,000 for a family of four, were eligible. Despite the narrowly targeted nature of this propsal, teacher’s unions (and other unions in the state) came out against it.

In a statement released Friday, Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey said the union is “absolutely opposed to ‘lifeline scholarships’ or any other tuition voucher scheme” as a part of a final spending plan…

In his letter, Askey called on lawmakers in the state House, where Democrats have a narrow 102-101 majority to oppose any effort to pass a vouchers program…

Last week, a broad coalition of labor groups, including PSEA, Council 13 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and others sent a letter to Shapiro and acting Education Secretary Khalid Mumin underlining their opposition to any effort to fund a voucher program.

“It is clearly irresponsible to appropriate state funds for tuition vouchers that benefit private and religious schools when the commonwealth hasn’t met its most basic duty to students who attend our public schools – the same public schools that the Commonwealth Court has determined are unconstitutionally underfunded,” the labor leaders wrote.

So Republicans and the governor are arguing that, because some public schools are failing, students should get a chance somewhere else. Democrats argue that because some schools are failing, we definitely can’t afford to spend money elsewhere.

Unfortunately, for parents in the state, that one seat Democratic advantage in the state House means these unions are effectively in control. Today, Gov. Shapiro gave in and promised to subject PASS to a line-item veto.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday said he would line-item veto $100 million for an education scholarship program he supports in order to get an overdue state budget in place more quickly.

His statement came after the majority leader in the Democratic-controlled House, Rep. Matt Bradford, said a bill setting up the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success program — called PASS by some and a school voucher program by others — did not have support in his chamber. The proposed program would set up a fund in the state Treasury to give taxpayer-funded scholarships to families of students in the state’s lowest-performing public schools, allowing them to enroll in private schools.

Gov. Shapiro released a statement explaining his decision. It reads in part:

Last Friday, the Senate passed a responsible budget that delivers critical funding to our shared priorities and sent it to the House for its consideration. Now, we stand at an impasse largely over one provision of this budget, PASS Scholarships, a proposal I support that has been passed by the Senate but one that Leader Bradford has made clear does not have the support of the House, where it was voted down in committee on Friday.

“Over the weekend, Leader Bradford requested a legal memo from the Office of General Counsel, which confirmed that without enabling legislation setting up this program, my Administration legally cannot implement it. Knowing that the two chambers will not reach consensus at this time to enact PASS, and unwilling to hold up our entire budget process over this issue, I will line-item veto the full $100 million appropriation and it will not be part of this budget bill.

What a shame. Instead of giving poor children trapped in failing schools a chance, PA unions and their Democratic pets in the state House have blocked this effort for another year. If parents want to see these kids given a chance, they’ll have to vote differently in the next election.