Guy Ciarrocchi: School choice works, is popular, and saves us money. Why do Democratic leaders attack it?

Over 70 percent of voters support school choice — perhaps as high as 80 percent. Contrary to what many would suggest, even a majority of Democratic voters support school choice. Support among African American and Hispanic voters reaches as high as 83 percent.

It’s also extraordinarily popular in Pennsylvania. 

Parents are seeking more options and “voting with their children’s feet,” by transferring their children to charter schools (or trying to, but getting shut out — 30,000 are on waiting lists), cyber charter schools, or are homeschooling their children. Poor and working-class families are seeking tuition assistance and scholarships to send their children to non-public schools. Correspondingly, there is an ever-growing number of donors to those scholarship/tuition assistance organizations — over $600 million donated this year. Despite these realities, Democratic political leaders — starting with Governor Josh Shapiro — seem to be on a mission to discourage or even eliminate school choice of every kind.

Pennsylvania has the second-most popular tax credit scholarship program in the nation, with over 101,000 poor and working-class students receiving tuition assistance this school year. The program benefits from thousands of voluntary donors, ranging from individuals to neighborhood businesses and major corporations. In its 25th year, it’s so successful that it was a model for the new federal education tax credit program. 

By design, every one of those 101,000 students is in a school that their parents chose — because it works for them. And every parent is free to withdraw their child if they find that the school is failing their child, unsafe, or teaching values that undermine their families’ values.

By design, donors to these scholarship organizations — be they individuals or small or large companies — freely contribute, and could stop contributing if they didn’t see the value in their donations.

There are so many families seeking K-12 scholarships that — unfortunately — as many as 80,000 more students wanted tuition assistance, but the tax credit money ran out. 

With 101,000 K-12 students benefiting, and with up to 80,000 more students wanting and needing tuition assistance, too; the response from the Governor and Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders might shock you.

They do not want to expand this popular, successful program: they want to cut it! Shapiro announced it in his budget address — despite sending his children to a Jewish Day School. And now, the Democratic-led House Education Committee is about to conduct “investigative” hearings into this program because they see it as “too big” and helping “too many” people.

Two decades ago, a bipartisan law was passed creating cyber charter schools — online public schools run independently, but chartered and regulated by the Department of Education. There are now fourteen of these digital, online schools across the state, with approximately 68,000 K-12 students. Cyber education is the second-fastest growing segment of education — just behind homeschooling. The vast majority of those students have transferred into a cyber school after having tried out two or more other schools that didn’t work for them, whether that was academically, in terms of safety, or because of other unique circumstances — students being homeless, teenage parents themselves, a student having special needs, or even being academically gifted.

In an era where traditional public school districts have received the largest increases in state taxpayer funding back-to-back-to-back, the governor and his party cut funding for cyber students in 2025 and 2026. Worse, they want to cut their funding again.

Notice the cruel irony? The pattern? 

Years ago, bipartisan coalitions of officials voted to offer parents choices — more opportunities — to find a school that works. And those ideas succeeded. Of course they would, because parents want to find a school that works for their child.

Charter schools are working — over 112,000 students. Up to 30,000 on waiting lists — because politicians in Philadelphia artificially cap enrollment to limit the size of schools. And they’ve only allowed one new charter school to open in the last eight years.  

Cybers are succeeding — over 68,000 K-12 students. Yet, Shapiro and many in his party want to cut student funding for a third year in a row — over $300 million cut so far.

Pennsylvania’s education tax credit tuition assistance program has exceeded the hopes of its bipartisan sponsors — with waiting lists for both students and donors. 

Plus, these programs actually save taxpayers’ money! If those 101,000 students getting scholarships through donations instead re-enrolled in their local public school — where taxpayers spend an average of $25,000/student/year — it would cost us $2.5 Billion.

Every child attending a Cyber or Charter school saves taxpayers thousands of dollars, too. Contrary to what school districts argue, charters and cybers only receive about 65 percent of the funding of a local public school. Local public schools get to keep that remaining 35 percent — to not educate the child.

Education choice is popular. It works. It saves money. And most of all, students get to attend a school that their parents chose. That’s a win for parents and taxpayers.

Politicians would only oppose these successful, child-focused, cost-saving programs if their focus wasn’t on children and families. They’re listening to the teachers’ union — which hates losing captive customers.

The governor has school choice. Most legislators and members of the teachers’ unions have school choice. They all can afford to pay tuition; move to a “good district;” or have “connections.”

Cynically, they just oppose other parents having school choice.

This hypocrisy must end. 

Guy Ciarrocchi is a Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation. A writer for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania, follow him @PaSuburbsGuy.