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Vouchers: Fighting Back on Behalf of Our Students and Communities

Our public schools, the heart of so many communities across America, are facing an unprecedented attack. Powerful special interests are pushing hard for multiple forms of vouchers, from tuition tax credits to education savings accounts to universal voucher programs and other privatization schemes that would divert billions of dollars from neighborhood public schools.

The verdict on vouchers is universal for parents, educators, researchers and taxpayers: Vouchers have failed our communities in state after state. But now, a narrow majority of billionaire-backed Republicans, the Trump administration through executive orders and their supporters in Congress want to take this disastrous, flawed idea national.

 And it should surprise no one that at the same time, the Trump administration is joined by governors who support vouchers while issuing executive orders to close the Department of Education and illegally redirecting funds, it is clear that the real goal is to push as hard as possible to privatize our schools. This will divert desperately needed resources from the public school system, which accepts all students and educates about 90 percent of our nation’s students.  

 In addition to the executive orders, the next step is to try and sneak a “tuition tax credit” into a bill whose primary purpose is to extend and expand tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. It has nothing to do with trying to improve public education through increased literacy, community schools, or career and technical education programs. We need to contact members of Congress and tell them to reject any voucher provisions.

The AFT isn’t just fighting back; we’re championing the Protect Our Kids campaign to show that we can reject the toxic attacks against public education in favor of working to strengthen public schools, making real solutions for kids a national priority.

We must fight against vouchers at the national, state and grassroots levels with parents and communities who are fighting for their children’s future.

The facts are on our side, and so is public opinion; that’s why vouchers have never won at the ballot box. To help with this, we are launching a portal that includes many resources for you to use, including a  toolkit put together with our partner, the National Coalition for Public Education.

We also have access to new tools from the Economic Policy Institute and the Education Law Center’s Public Funds for Public Schools campaign that estimate the dollar costs of universal vouchers to school districts and states. Users of these tools can try out different scenarios to see how much money students will lose out on and make real the cost for students who do not opt for a voucher.

The AFT co-founded NCPE in 1978, and the group currently comprises more than 50 education, civic, civil rights and faith organizations that support the use of public funds for public schools. NCPE opposes funneling taxpayer money to private and religious schools through private school voucher schemes, and its members can be key allies in building anti-voucher coalitions.

We encourage you to take a look. The toolkit provides specific messaging, polling, graphics and research you can use, depending on your needs. We can work with you to tailor the document to specific campaigns.

Key Points


Public schools are key to protecting our democracy and have Americans’ support.

  • Public schools represent our civic values and ideals: Education is so vital for individuals and society that a free education must be available to every child. All young people should have opportunities to prepare for life, college, career and citizenship.
  • In a pluralistic society, people with different beliefs and backgrounds must learn to bridge differences. As the founders believed, an educated citizenry is essential to protect our democracy from demagogues.
  • Claims that parents want to leave public schools or do not believe in them are false. Poll after poll has shown that America’s trust in public schools is at an all-time high. Every effort to put vouchers up to a vote has been rejected handily. In a 2022 poll, results show that parents and communities trust their children’s public school teachers and support their local public schools.
    • 54 percent of Americans rated their local public schools an “A” or a “B.”
    • 63 percent of Americans reported a “great deal or a good amount” of confidence in the teachers at their local public schools.
    • 64 percent of Americans rated their satisfaction with local public schools an “A” or a “B.”

Vouchers undermine public schools and would pull society apart.

  • Vouchers divert desperately needed public resources from the public school system to fund a second system consisting of the education of a few students at private schools—without offering any actual reforms with no oversight of the second system. The government would better serve our children by using these funds to strengthen public schools.
  • Vouchers are a poor investment for our communities: Vouchers don’t save money because they require additional funding to support a separate education system for private gain.
  • In a column for the Albert Shanker institute, Michigan State University professor Josh Cowen wrote that “Despite an ever-growing volume of data showing that direct and sustained dollar investments in public schools yields large and inter-generational opportunity, the alternative scheme to divert those dollars into individual accounts for side-item educational expenses is alive and well .”

Vouchers fail communities and students.

Vouchers undermine civil rights with taxpayers’ money.

  • Too often, private schools that use vouchers do not adequately serve students with disabilities because these schools do not have to follow federal and state laws or provide the same services as required in traditional public schools.
  • Too often, private schools that accept vouchers deny admission to, discipline or expel LGBTQIA+ students and students with LGBTQIA+ family members. Many also teach anti-LGBTQIA+ curricula, including conversion therapy.
  • Many private voucher schools have a religious litmus test for students and families.
  • Vouchers continue racial segregation. They disproportionately serve white students, and the history of modern-day vouchers is found in the era of segregation.
  • Private schools are able to reject kids with special needs who require more expensive supports and can refuse individualized education programs (IEPs).

Voucher programs lack accountability and promote fraud.

  • Private school vouchers fail to provide accountability to taxpayers. Most voucher programs lack accountability measures, and many also lack proper oversight to ensure they meet even the minimal standards that do exist.
  • Without any meaningful accountability, voucher programs are vulnerable to fraud and abuse.