School Vouchers are welfare payments for wealthy families!

I strongly urge you to oppose the Educational Choice for Children Act (S. 292/H.R. 817) and its costly voucher-inspired scheme. According to press releases, the scheme would cost the U.S. Treasury $10 billion a year—$100 billion over a 10-year period. The scheme unfair, it ignores the 90% of American children who attend public school in order to give tax payer money to wealthy families who wish to attend private schools. Vouchers don’t work in the rural communities where public schools are the economic center. Nor do they improve student performance. Moreover, special needs students who attend private schools lose important legal rights and protections. America cannot afford to fund two education systems—one private and one public. Taxpayer dollars should go to public schools open to all students, not private schools that can pick and choose their students. That’s why voters all across America have rejected voucher schemes every time they’re on the ballot—17 times. Please oppose this bill and any other efforts to distort the tax code with voucher-inspired schemes.