Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro criticized from all sides for playing politics with school choice

(Daily Callers News Foundation) – Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has tried to toe the line on school choice in his state, but now he is facing attacks from all sides as he jumps to the top of the Democratic vice presidential nomination shortlist.

Shapiro backed a Republican proposal for school vouchers in his 2022 campaign for governor that included $100 million for private school tuition, which he later walked back after facing pushback from Democrats in the state’s House who said that they would not pass it, according to The Associated Press. Now, Shapiro has been put in the spotlight as one of the top contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the upcoming presidential election, despite drawing continued condemnation from pro-school choice groups and last week from 28 anti-school choice groups due to his wavering position on the issue.

The governor made school choice a key part of his campaign platform in 2022, stating during a campaign event that he believed it was important for parents to be able to choose their child’s school as well as fund public schools, Spotlight PA reported. He supported the school voucher programs as long as they did not take away from giving money to public schools.

“There is definite disappointment in him not fulfilling his promise, his campaign promise to support education choice and options for kids who need them,” Sharon Sedlar, founder and president of PA Families for Education Choice, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Shapiro endorsed the “lifeline” scholarships many times during his campaign until he threatened to veto the scholarships in 2023 even though the programs passed through the state’s Senate twice, according to the Commonwealth Foundation. Lifeline scholarships are programs that offer an Education Opportunity Account (EOA) for students who are attending a school ranked in the bottom 15% based on performance.

“It’s really concerning that he didn’t fight for lifeline or past scholarships,” Sedlar continued. “It’s equally concerning that he seems to be aligning with those who are opposed not only to advancement of education choice policies and education freedom but actually joining in their position in what they are calling reforming education options.”

On July 24, a group of 28 pro-public school groups from across the country sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris asking her not to pick Shapiro as her running mate in the November presidential election. The anti-school choice groups claimed in the letter that Shapiro’s stance on education issues is too similar to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which outlines that parents should be able to choose from education options for their child.

“It is our fervent hope that your running mate will reflect your strong history of supporting educators and students, and commitment to building the middle class which will require strong public schools across our nation,” the letter from the groups states. “For this reason, we respectfully ask you not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.”

The original $100 million scholarship program for private school tuition was criticized by Democrats, teachers’ unions and school boards at the time it was being considered, which led Shapiro to agree to issue a “line-item veto” of the program in July 2023 despite his earlier support, according to the AP.

A separate letter was sent by several progressive leaders from around the country on Tuesday to Vice President Kamala Harris, urging her not to pick Shapiro as her potential running mate. The letter states that Shapiro has made “too many controversial policy decisions on issues such as school choice.”

“They have the votes to pass [scholarship programs] if he would use his bully pulpit about other issues like this,” Nathan Benefield, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation, told the DCNF. “He has not done that for school choice. He has, you know, not backed away from saying he supports it, but has not used the power of the governor, either rhetorically or with leverage, to get the House Democrats to advance it.”

Shapiro faced another controversy in late July when a watchdog group alleged that a teachers’ union in Pennsylvania laundered $1.5 million into the governor’s 2022 campaign. The Freedom Foundation filed three complaints with multiple parties, claiming that the Pennsylvania State Education Association was laundering the money.

“Rather than use his position to build a coalition that would ensure Pennsylvania kids had the best educational opportunities, the governor let teachers unions flex their muscles and push their radical, political agendas at the expense of the next generation,” Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, told the DCNF. “Governor Shapiro is either beyond ineffective and powerless, or he’s just another politician in the pocket of teachers unions. When it comes to their child’s education, parents deserve to have options. Policies such as school choice and transparency in curriculum allow for just that.”

“You know, this is one of several issues where I think he’s tried to play both sides,” Benefield told the DCNF.

Shapiro’s office did not provide a comment to the DCNF.