The Secular Coalition for America needs your help on Lobby Day to oppose a bill that would lower tax revenue by up to $10 billion and send that same amount in school vouchers to private and religious schools. This program diverts funds to vouchers and reduces federal funding that could have been used to fund public schools.
Universal voucher programs are already in place in Arizona, Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Montana, Oklahoma, and Utah. Most of these states are seeing dramatic cost growth in their voucher programs at the expense of public schools and other budget categories. Now, the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) seeks to allocate $10 billion in annual tax credits to fund private and religious K-12 schools. Join us in Washington on March 11th to tell your legislators why they must oppose this bill.
Public schools nationwide are struggling—50% reported understaffing problems in 2024, a 5% increase from the previous year. Deteriorating school conditions and funding shortages continue to impact student and teacher performance, with an estimated 32 percent of public school students finishing the 2023–24 school year behind grade level in at least one academic subject.This is not the time to add new challenges with a new national school voucher program.
John Adams once stated that educating “every rank and class of people, down to the lowest and the poorest” has “to be the care of the public”. The Founding Fathers recognized the importance of an educated country—now, we must remind our elected representatives of their words.
Join us on March 11th to urge your legislators to stand against this bill. We’re holding a reception on the evening of March 10 followed by a full day of lobbying on March 11. No experience necessary: just explain why this is important to you as a constituent. You can find out more and register right here. (Don’t wait too long; our hotel price is only guaranteed through February 14th!)
