2025 Promises New Possibilities In Educational Choice
Written by on November 24, 2024
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The recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency, coupled with the election of Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, has created an opportunity for important advances in education policy to be made at the federal level next year. President-elect Trump has expressed support for several agenda items of interest to the Christian community. Those items include protecting children from inappropriate instruction on racial and sexual topics, keeping boys out of girls’ sports, and—most importantly—establishing universal school choice throughout the United States.
Regarding school choice, President-elect Trump has made several encouraging statements. In October 2024, he told Fox Business that “‘school choice is one of the most important things we’re going to be doing’” and that he will “‘sign anything to do with school choice.’” In addition, President-elect Trump has stated his support for the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a New York Families Action-supported bill that would provide $10 billion in tax credits for contributions to organizations that provide scholarships to elementary and secondary school students. ECCA scholarships could be used for “private-school tuition, home schooling or other educational costs” and would be available to students from low- and middle-income backgrounds. If passed, the ECCA would empower Christian families and other families across the nation who desire to educate their children at home or at Christian schools, but have been unable to do so because of cost.
Greg Brock of the Invest in Education Coalition is optimistic about the prospects of passing the ECCA. According to Brock, several supporters of school choice were newly elected to the U.S. Senate this year. Furthermore, Brock notes that the ECCA has more than 180 co-sponsors in the current Congress, has received support from Republican leaders in both houses, and is being championed by more than 150 national and state-level organizations. Brock is hopeful that the ECCA will be included in a budget reconciliation bill that can be passed by a simple Senate majority (most Senate bills are subject to the filibuster rule, which requires bills to receive 60 votes before they can reach the Senate floor).
Jason McGuire, Executive Director of New York Families Action, made the following comments: “At New York Families, we are encouraged by the fact that school choice supporters will hold key positions in federal government starting next year. We respectfully call upon President Trump, Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune, and House Speaker Mike Johnson to make the Educational Choice for Children Act a reality in 2025.”
The post 2025 Promises New Possibilities In Educational Choice appeared first on New York Families Foundation.
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