Adam Wittenberg | May 24, 2025
(The Lion) — Catholic bishops in the U.S. are supporting the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) but are calling for key changes before it receives final approval.
The measure, which would establish a national tax credit to fund school choice scholarships for parents, was included in the House budget reconciliation bill that passed this week. The proposal now heads to the Senate, with the administration hoping for swift passage in time for a July 4 signing.
The $5 billion ECCA could potentially double the number of school choice participants nationwide – currently about 1.2 million – according to Pat Wolf of the University of Arkansas. The measure would allow up to $5 billion in scholarships to be funded annually for four years, with funding based on taxpayers claiming the credit.
The bishops support expanding school choice but are urging the removal of what they call “poison pill language that would debilitate Catholic school participation,” Catholic News Agency reported.
Their primary concern is a requirement that participating schools provide accommodations to special needs students – an “unfunded mandate” that could prove burdensome for schools that lack the necessary resources.
While the U.S. bishops have emphasized the importance of “making Catholic education inclusive,” they said in a statement that this requirement would “debilitate the ability for Catholic schools to participate.”
They urged the Senate to strike the provision, noting that private schools “generally do not receive IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] funding, so they would have to pay these significant costs out of pocket.”
The bishops also advocated restoring the program’s original $10 billion annual cap, which included credits from both individuals and businesses. The current version caps the credit at $5 billion and excludes businesses from participating.
Despite the room for improvement, school choice advocates remain enthusiastic, with some experts calling this the strongest opportunity yet for implementing a national school choice plan – particularly because the reconciliation process only requires a simple Senate majority.
Nationally, 31% of Catholic schools participate in state-sponsored school choice programs, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.
This article was made available to EdNews Virginia via The Lion, a publication of the Herzog Foundation.