Colorado to Participate in federal Tax credit Scholarship Program Despite Opposition
DENVER – Colorado Governor Jared Polis will move forward with opting the state into a federal tax credit scholarship program starting in 2027, a decision announced despite vocal opposition from public education advocates. The program will allow organizations to provide funds to parents for education expenses – including private school tuition, books, transportation, and uniforms – for students.
Families earning up to 300% of the area median income will qualify for the scholarships. While this threshold encompasses higher-income families in expensive urban areas, it may exclude some middle-class families in rural communities.
Polis’s decision comes after Colorado voters rejected previous school choice measures. In 2024,Amendment 80,which would have constitutionally enshrined school choice,failed to pass. In 2021, voters also rejected Proposition 119, a measure that would have allocated marijuana tax revenue to after-school programs and tutoring.
A coalition led by Great Education Colorado delivered a letter to Polis on Wednesday urging him to reject the program. The letter argued the state should prioritize increased resources for public schools and respect voters’ previous decisions against vouchers.
“But publicly funded school vouchers are not the way to achieve this,” the letter stated. The group cited studies showing mixed results regarding the impact of vouchers on student achievement and raised concerns about a lack of public accountability and potential discrimination against students with disabilities or those who identify as LGBTQ+.
The coalition emphasized the unique role of public schools, stating, “Unlike the private or religious schools that vouchers support, our public schools are obligated to teach all students, holding fast to the American ideal of public education as a springboard to success and as necessary to a well-functioning democracy.”
Organizations signing the letter included the Colorado Education Association, Colorado Fiscal Institute, Colorado PTA, Movimiento Poder, and The Bell Policy Center.