WHAT THE FEDERAL PROGRAM IS

A taxpayer-funded voucher, dressed up as a tax credit.

Congress passed the first national private-school subsidy as part of the 2025 budget law. It doesn't hand parents a check — it works through the tax code instead. But the result is the same: our tax dollars end up paying for private-school tuition.

How It Works

STEP 1

Individuals can receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, up to $1,700 a year, for donating to “scholarship granting organizations” (SGOs).

STEP 2

SGOs hand out private-school vouchers. They distribute the money as scholarships, most of which is expected to flow to private and religious school tuition.

STEP 3

It's not designed to help struggling families. Eligibility reaches families earning up to 300% of area median income, more than $500,000 in parts of New York.

STEP 4

The governor decides. The program launches in 2027, but only in states that opt in. New York's participation is a choice, and the decision is in the governor's hands.

The Bottom Line

Tax dollars that could fund public services instead pay private-school tuition for other people's children — with none of the transparency or accountability the public expects in return.

Five reasons New York should SAY NO.

Reason 1
It defunds the schools serving everyone

When students leave with vouchers, public schools lose the full per-pupil funding. But the fixed costs of buildings, buses and staff don't shrink. That forces cuts for the 90% of kids who remain and your property taxes make up the difference.

Reason 2
It's another tax break for the wealthy

This isn't an education program; it's a tax shelter. Wealthy donors get a dollar-for-dollar write-off while working families absorb smaller school budgets and bigger class sizes.

Reason 3
Private schools do the choosing; not families

Public schools take children of every income, ability, language and faith. Private schools that take vouchers can still reject any student, and keep the public money anyway.

Reason 4
It undoes hard-won progress

New York just finished a years-long fight to fully fund its schools. Opting in to private vouchers would start unwinding that progress on day one. It’s a slippery slope to school privatization when we should continue to support our excellent public schools.

Reason 5
The money disappears into a black box

Voucher dollars don't flow to public schools with audits and oversight. They flow to private organizations with no accountability. The predictable result: waste, overpayments and money no one can trace. (See Florida below.)

read the Federal Voucher Scheme FAQ

THE CAUTIONARY TALES

Every state that tried this watched costs explode.

These aren't worst-case scenarios. They're what actually happened in states that adopted universal voucher programs.

Arizona

$65M → $864M

A program projected at $65 million went blew past $864 million. That's 1,229% over budget. This helped open a $1.4 billion budget hole. And in the end, 71% of voucher recipients never attended public school in the first place.

Indiana

$15M → ~$500M

Started at $15 million; reached nearly $500 million by 2024–25 and drained $115 million from public schools in a single year. Recipients were more likely to earn over $100K than under $50K.

Ohio

~$1 Billion / year

Voucher costs are nearing $1 billion annually and projected to hit $1.25 billion by 2027 — funding a largely separate, religious school system.

Florida

$270M unaccounted for

A December 2025 state audit couldn't fully track $270 million in voucher funds. Meanwhile, vouchers' share of the education budget nearly doubled, from 12% to 23%.

Don't let it happen here.

New York is one of the states projected to absorb the biggest revenue hits. The best time to organize is before the decision is made.

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