HARRISBURG – Keystone Research Center today released a comprehensive report examining Pennsylvania’s troubling track record on existing Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) private school voucher programs. Entitled “Pennsylvania’s Track Record on Private School Vouchers,” the report identifies several areas of concern for the programs – among other issues, these areas of concern include:
- Unequal access to the voucher program, particularly for students in rural communities
- Lack of meaningful educational or financial accountability
- Subsidization of elite private schools and affluent families
- Private schools receiving these funds routinely discriminate against students for reasons including disabilities, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and more
- Lack of oversight on the teaching of creationism as science and the Bible as literal history in some religious schools receiving public funds
Stephen Herzenberg, Executive Director of the Keystone Research Center and one of the authors of the report, provided context for the study’s findings, saying, “Our research paints a concerning picture of the lack of accountability measures for OSTC and EITC programs. This should be a red alert for lawmakers. The lack of reporting requirements along with the ability for taxpayer dollars to go to programs that discriminate against Pennsylvania families raises serious questions about the quality of education being provided to our students and whether the funds are being correctly allocated. These many problems cannot and should not be ignored.”
The report goes beyond mere financial and educational issues, raising the alarm about the potential of these voucher programs to create and foster social division and intolerance. The report estimates that 78% of OSTC and EITC funds go to religious schools, which do not have to be accredited or abide by Pennsylvania’s academic standards. The report lays out how the EITC/OSTC tax credit programs have provided a way for public funding to be used for the teaching of creationism as science as well as other curricula that conflict with established science and history. Beyond that, private and religious schools that receive voucher dollars do not have to comply with the non-discrimination requirements applicable to public schools. As a result, the EITC and OSTC programs can subsidize discrimination against families and students with physical or learning disabilities, with certain demographic characteristics, religious backgrounds, or other characteristics that private schools choose not to admit.
Rachel Tabachnick, an independent researcher and a contributing author to the report, elaborated on this, stating, “One of the more alarming findings of the report is the potential for these programs to segregate our communities, creating divisions based on social, economic, and religious lines. By enabling a system that could potentially fuel social division and intolerance, we risk creating an environment that fails to deliver a quality education to all our students. Our children deserve better.”
The report, an update of previous research by Keystone Research Center, comes after last year’s Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court decision that ruled the current system of funding for education violates Pennsylvania’s constitution. Earlier this year, the Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) issued a report identifying a public education funding gap in Pennsylvania of over $5 billion. Currently, PA taxpayers are paying more than $470 million every year for the EITC and OSTC programs. These programs combined have received over $2 billion in taxpayer funds since their inception in the early 2000s.
In light of the potential expansion of these voucher programs, the report makes an urgent call for the implementation of more robust financial and educational accountability measures. Diana Polson, Senior Research Analyst with Keystone Research Center and co-author of the report, underscored the need for more robust oversight of these programs. She said, “Our report reveals a system that is currently failing to provide adequate educational quality to Pennsylvania’s students and is alarmingly susceptible to misuse of state funds. Lawmakers must prioritize fixing these issues before any expansion of these programs is considered.”
“The findings of the report highlight the undeniable fact that investing in our public schools, which are required by law to follow strict financial and academic reporting guidelines, is the most effective way to positively impact our children’s lives,” said Herzenberg. “Public schools stand apart in their commitment to inclusivity, ensuring every child, regardless of background, has equal access to quality education. Especially now that lawmakers have a decision from the Commonwealth Court that requires them to close the massive funding gap, pouring more taxpayer dollars into programs like this without significant and fundamental changes to the way they are run is an abuse of public funds.”
You can download the full report HERE
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