Polis all in on Trump’s tax-credit scholarship while other Democratic governors wait and see

Gov Jared Polis plans to opt Colorado into a federal tax-credit scholarship project opening the door to private school choice in a Democratic state where lawmakers and voters have rejected previous proposals Conservatives children s advocates and supporters of school choice praised the decision for its anticipated to raise money for all students guidance Meanwhile a coalition of masses school advocates sent a letter to Polis this week asking him to reconsider The voucher-like operation part of President Donald Trump s big beautiful budget bill has the promising to generate billions of dollars for private school tuition and other educational expenses such as tutoring but governors have to decide whether to participate Polis appears to be the second Democratic governor to announce his intention to join North Carolina Gov Josh Stein did so in August under pressure from state Republican lawmakers who have dramatically expanded the state s voucher system Polis is also the second governor to opt in from a state where voters rejected a school choice measure at the ballot Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen a Republican signed an order in September declaring that his state would participate setting the stage for Nebraska s first private school choice campaign after voters there overturned voucher rule in School choice supporters had hoped the federal effort would expand educational opportunities in states where politics made it arduous or impossible to pass voucher statute Polis meanwhile announced he saw other prospective benefits Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman declared in a declaration Friday that the governor would not have voted for the budget bill but he is not interested in leaving hundreds of millions in federal money on the table that could provide additional funding for after-school activities summer school scholarships and academic tutoring This tax credit creates an immense opportunity for Coloradans to patronage students in our state but only if we opt in she declared He welcomes the opportunity to work with school districts and other coaching stakeholders to help ensure this credit can benefit the greatest number of students across our state with evidence-based programs that supplement school days He encourages the administration to ensure these tax credits lead to improved attendee outcomes The tax-credit plan allows taxpayers to reduce their tax liability if they donate to eligible scholarship-granting organizations which then pay for students educational expenses The law allows donations to benefit residents and private school students alike but how feasible it might be to harness donations for constituents school students will depend in part on rules that the Treasury Department has yet to issue The Colorado Sun first released that Polis plans to opt Colorado into the operation He expressed openness to the idea last summer and supported a version of a voucher plan earlier in his career Polis noted in a declaration Friday that he doesn t believe vouchers are a good use of inhabitants funds and that this tax credit is not a voucher States officially opt in by presenting a list of eligible scholarship-granting organizations to the Treasury Department a step that must wait until rules are finalized next year Polis decision doesn t necessarily mean Colorado will participate in the tax-credit effort over the long term Polis is term-limited and the winner of the governor s race next year could make a different decision Supporters of Polis decision agreed that the tax credits present an opportunity for the state to raise millions for students including to endorsement them in out-of-school opportunities and to pay for transportation and school supplies Advocates say the tax-credit scholarship initiative helps students in underperforming schools attend other school options Tony Lewis executive director of the Donnell-Kay Foundation which works on tuition initiative commented he hopes the tax credit rules allow scholarship-granting organizations the ability to pay for a wide range of initiatives such as sports after-school programs theater classes and summer camps The Donnell-Kay Foundation has also provided funding to Chalkbeat Read more about our supporters and our ethics guidelines here If we pass up this opportunity to opt in now we close any possibility of doing good work for population school kids he noted Why not keep your options open The Colorado Children s Campaign an advocacy organization also expressed optimism about the foreseen to benefit general school students And Ready Colorado Executive Director Brenda Dickhoner disclosed the decision means more opportunities for kids especially those wanting to participate in enrichment programs The conservative organization focuses on school choice and tuition change It s a way for us to solve this dilemma of closing this opportunity gap and making it more equitable for kids to access after-school enrichment whether it s band or sports or any type of tutoring she stated in an interview The project doesn t require state funding Instead it allows states to decide whether taxpayers can donate funds to scholarship-granting organizations and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit Individual taxpayers can claim a credit of up to starting in Those organizations would give the money to parents to pay for teaching expenses such as a students private school tuition books transportation and uniforms Families earning up to of area median income would qualify That threshold includes well-off families in expensive urban areas but might exclude middle-class families in specific rural communities Colorado voters in rejected Amendment which would have enshrined the right to school choice in the state s Constitution In they rejected a measure that would have used marijuana tax dollars to sponsorship after-school programs and tutoring Polis reiterated his decision to opt in despite pleas from a coalition led by Great Coaching Colorado that delivered a letter to Polis on Wednesday saying the state should not participate The letter reported the state should focus on providing more materials to schools and respect voters wishes to keep vouchers out of the state The group added that the state can and must do better when it comes to residents guidance But publicly funded school vouchers are not the way to achieve this the letter says Related Articles Denver Kids creates personal connections with students spurring success in academics jobs Teaching Department workers targeted in layoffs are returning to tackle civil rights backlog CU Boulder suspends Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity over reports of hazing Protesters call on CU Athletics to cancel contract with Key Lime Air amid ICE flights Denver metro school delays and closures for Dec The letter says studies have shown vouchers provide mixed results in improving pupil achievement It also says the activity lacks general accountability and allows discrimination against children with disabilities or who identify as LGBTQ Unlike the private or religious schools that vouchers patronage our general schools are obligated to teach all students holding fast to the American ideal of masses instruction as a springboard to success and as necessary to a well-functioning democracy the letter says The list of organizations calling on Polis to reject the plan includes the Colorado Learning Association Colorado Fiscal Institute Colorado PTA Movimiento Poder and The Bell Protocol Center This story was originally published by Chalkbeat a nonprofit news site covering educational change in population schools Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe at newsletters Get more Colorado news by signing up for The Denver Post s Mile High Roundup email newsletter