by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
For many years now, Christians have been concerned about what their children are being
taught in an increasingly secularized public school system. From the homosexual agenda,
transgenderism and a systematic undermining of God’s plan for marriage and the family, to secular
humanism and removal of prayer and Bible reading from the classroom, godly parents in many
parts of our country have watched their tax dollars used to weaken or confuse their children. For
many years, they have been crying for reforms and educational choices.
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” a major tax and spending package passed by Congress and
signed by President Trump on July 4, includes the first federally funded, nationwide private school
choice program. While opponents view the law as harmful to public schools, supporters are calling
it an historic step toward educational freedom.
“Parents should decide where their kids go to school. This bill helps them do that,” said Sen.
Bill Cassidy, R-La., author of the Educational Choice for Children Act (“ECCA”) included in the
“One Big, Beautiful Bill” and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee. He and other supporters say the school choice tax incentive will finally allow students
to leave failing schools and choose higher-performing schools that best fit their needs.
“When parents are empowered to make decisions and are empowered with the resources to
make those decisions, their children thrive,” said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. “For the first time
in American history, we will be telling parents all across America — whether they’re in a red state
or whether they’re in a blue state — that the choice is theirs and that the economic power is theirs.”
The bill provides funding at the federal level.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said arguments against ECCA as being detrimental to public school
systems are false. He highlighted public school systems in Florida and Ohio that he said improved
when those states implemented private school choice programs, because the competition for
students drove progress. Having a high-quality education leads to the “American dream,” Cruz
said. “So the attacks against this are all motivated by protecting money for adults at the expense
of the kids.”
According to EdChoice, a nonprofit that supports school choice, 36 states and the District
of Columbia already have some type of private school choice program. Collectively, they serve
nearly 1.3 million students. West Virginia, for example, has an Educational Savings Account
(“ESA”) program known as the Hope Scholarship Program, enacted in 2021 and launched in 2022,
in which there are now approximately 11,000 participants. But the new law goes farther.
Under the new, federal school choice law, any taxpayer who donates up to $1,700 annually
to a scholarship granting organization — a 501(c)(3) charity organization — would be eligible for
a 100% federal income tax credit for their contribution, or the equal amount in a reduction of taxes
owed. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, there is no other charitable
giving structure that allows this type of dollar-for-dollar tax incentive.
It doesn’t take a rocket
scientist to see that the educational process in much of America has been off track for sometime.
When students are taught hatred for our nation’s culture and history, or disrespect for God and
godly themes, we are in deep trouble. College students who have attended classes in both the public
and private religious context, can often see the stark contrast. And in our brotherhood, colleges
and Christian schools desperately need the financial support of parents and alumni who are
compelled by law to finance the public system.
I have long believed that school choice will actually benefit both private and public
education. I have seen public schools drastically improve their practices in the face of competition
from private religious schools around them. The ultimate beneficiaries are the children themselves.
And since the federal dollars are being allotted even in states which have resisted the concept of
school choice, lower income and special-needs students should benefit from the choices now
available to them. It’s my hope that this is a big step in the right direction.
