Pennsylvania Republicans introduce universal school choice bill in contested state

Nine GOP Pennsylvania legislators introduced a state House bill last week that would create education savings accounts, or ESAs, called Student Freedom Accounts.

The accounts would be available to students of all income levels since the measure doesn’t list any income restrictions.

The plan appears to borrow best practices from successful school choice programs in other states.

These include usage by homeschool and hybrid school students; the ability for those students to participate in public school sports and activities and some academic classes; and flexibility for parents who enroll their children in private school to use the funds for tuition and related expenses such as transportation, learning materials and programs and enrichment activities. 

The legislation also includes language that would allow the program to launch within 60 days of being approved and the state to contract with a third-party provider to administer the Student Freedom Accounts. 

That timeline is significant, since the state must approve a budget by June 30. The bill could be passed before then and the budget would then determine how much money the program would receive. 

But passing such a measure could prove challenging especially in the House, where Democrats hold a slim, one-seat majority. Republicans control the Senate. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has voiced support for school choice in the past but reneged on approving a measure in 2023 under pressure from House Democrats. 

Since then, a battle has been shaping up that could come to a head this year. 

Lifeline scholarships, a program intended specifically for low-income students trapped in failing schools, is a priority for the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank that is mounting a strong advocacy campaign this spring in favor of them. 

Low-income scholarships were what gained traction with Shapiro and half of the legislature before House Democrats blocked them. 

A proposal to enact them could be revived, but under the new Republican bill the entire state could see school choice.  

“We applaud Republican lawmakers for their leadership on expanding educational options this session,” Commonwealth Foundation spokesperson Giana DePaul said in an email to The Lion. 

“All Pennsylvania students deserve a quality education that best serves their needs – which we can deliver through school choice programs, like Lifeline Scholarships and other proposals from legislators. 

“We support this most recent bill and are supportive of any legislation that expands educational opportunities for students and families in Pennsylvania.” 

Debate is already exploding online about whether the new measure will pass. 

“C’mon @GovernorShapiro,” reacted one X user to news of the proposal, while another was wary of the governor’s fidelity: 

“Let me guess, @GovernorShapiro will break his word to Pennsylvanians…again,” wrote Clint Micheau. 

So far this year, four states have passed broad school choice programs, including a $1 billion ESA program in Texas that passed both legislative chambers and is now being reconciled into a final bill for Gov. Greg Abbott to sign. 

North Dakota just approved a universal school choice bill that Gov. Kelly Armstrong is expected to sign. 

If Pennsylvania, like Texas one of the largest states, enacts school choice, it would add significantly to the number of U.S. students providing educational freedom. Currently, 16 states have or have approved universal choice programs, and more than 30 states have some form of school choice. 

Nationally, more than 1.2 million students participate in school choice, including 500,000 in Florida alone.