1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I respectfully urge you to vote NO on the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), H.R. 833/S. 292, a bill that would create a lucrative tax shelter for the wealthy in order to fund private school vouchers.  Private school vouchers are mostly used by students from wealthy families who are already attending private schools. Private schools take taxpayer-funded vouchers but are not bound by civil rights laws, and they often discriminate against students based on their disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, English language ability, academic abilities, disciplinary history, ability to pay tuition, and/or what their family looks like. ECCA would bolster the use of private school vouchers by offering a 100% federal tax credit for contributions to organizations granting private school vouchers, rather than the standard tax deduction of 37% for those in the highest tax brackets. This would also incentivize contributions to private school voucher programs over donations to any other charitable programs or organizations that serve our communities, such as veterans’ organizations, homeless shelters, food banks, and domestic violence shelters. Moreover, the reduction in tax revenue is expected to cost the federal government an estimated $10 billion per year. Public funds should be used to fund public schools, which serve over 90% of students. Diverting funds from public schools will weaken the public education system as a whole, making it harder for public schools to provide high-quality education to all students. Those most harmed will be students in low-income districts and rural communities, students with special needs, and LGBTQ+ students - in other words, our most vulnerable youth.  For all these reasons, I urge you to protect public education and vote NO on the ECCA.