(The Center Square) – If passed as expected, the Educational Choice for Children Act will open up school choice across the U.S., with the amount of students benefiting from “private school choice programs” prospectively doubling from 1.2 million to 2.4 million.
The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is intended to amend code in order “to allow a credit against tax for charitable donations to nonprofit organizations providing education scholarships to qualified elementary and secondary students,” as stated on the bill’s webpage.
The ECCA is a part of the Big Beautiful Bill budget resolution that is currently in Senate committee.
In a statement obtained by The Center Square, chair of America First Policy Institute’s Center for Education Opportunity Erika Donalds said: “the house bill provides $5 billion in tax credits to fund scholarships for families earning less than three times their area’s median income, making school choice accessible to millions across all 50 states.”
“Parents, including homeschoolers, can use these funds for a wide range of educational expenses, such as private school tuition, tutoring, books, online classes, and educational therapies, ensuring tailored learning experiences,” Donalds said in the statement.
“This legislation is a game-changer for educational opportunity and a historic step toward universal school choice, more than doubling the number of students benefiting from private school choice programs in just one year,” Donalds said, with numbers possibly going from 1.2 million to 2.4 million.
Erika Donalds is the wife of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
In a phone interview, Donalds told The Center Square: “the fact that [the ECCA] will give education choice and opportunity to families and states that otherwise have had no private school choice whatsoever thus far is a game changer for families.”
“I know how transformational this [act] is for families and what a huge burden that they’re currently carrying if they need choice and they don’t have any assistance,” Donalds said.
With three children ranging from 13 to 21, Donalds told The Center Square: “I experienced in my own life the need for that choice and having to move my budget around as a family in order to afford private school for one of our children that needed it.”
Donalds said school choice is no longer a red or blue issue. “School choice is now supported by over 70 percent of Americans, including 67 percent of Democrats,” Donalds said.
“Families understand the need for diversity in offerings in education and not a one size fits all approach,” Donalds told The Center Square.
Donalds said that the ECCA is “so important not just for those individual families and students but really for our country to create a more dynamic education ecosystem where every student can get what they need in order to thrive [and] in order to be set up for success in achieving the American dream.”
According to Donalds, legislation similar to the ECCA has been proposed before. For instance, Betsy DeVos “worked on very similar legislation” when she was secretary of education.
“It’s kind of been floating around for about 10 years now,” Donalds said. “It’s been a long time coming to actually get it into legislation that is expected to pass.”
Donalds additionally said that the ECCA’s “innovative tax credit model encourages individuals to invest in education while delivering real benefits to students.”
“By offering 1:1 tax credit for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations, it incentivizes private investment in education without cutting public school funds or burdening taxpayers,” Donalds said.
