Senate Education Committee approves legislation that would expand school choice

Legislation recently introduced in the state Senate would expand school choice statewide.

Senate Bill 527 would raise the caps for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Scholarship (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs by 25 percent annually as long as at least 90 percent of the credits were claimed in the prior year.

The programs provide scholarships to more than 48,000 students seeking an education outside of their assigned public school. The EITC is funded at $225 million and the OSTC at $55 million.

Currently, the programs have a fixed cap. If the bill becomes law, the programs could see an increase of $100 million annually, less than 1 percent of the $30 billion spent on public education annually in Pennsylvania.

Last year, the General Assembly increased the EITC cap by $40 million, funding scholarships for an additional 13,000 students.

Sen. Mike Regan (R-Cumberland/York) sponsored the bill.

“Thank you, Sen. Mike Regan, for sponsoring S.B. 527 to expand PA’s EITC program and provide more opportunities for Pennsylvania employers to support families wishing to pursue an educational path that best meets the needs of their children,” the Pennsylvania Chamber tweeted.

The Senate Education Committee approved the bill, and it moves to the full Senate for consideration.