Heartland Institute Education Experts React to Pennsylvania Legislature’s Vote to Expand Education Choice

Published July 15, 2016

Heartland Institute Education Experts React to Pennsylvania Legislature’s Vote to
Expand Education Choice

The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday passed House Bill 1606, which increases funding for the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) by an additional $25 million. The bill is on its way to Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) desk.

The following statements from education policy experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.


“This is an exciting day for parents and students in Pennsylvania. Both of the state’s education choice programs provide children access to better educational alternatives, enabling them to escape a failing system to a brighter future. The more students whose parents have the freedom to choose the best way to educate their children, the better, and this legislation opens the door to increased choice.”

Teresa Mull
Managing Editor, School Reform News
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


“The Pennsylvania legislature should be applauded for increasing the amount of money available for education tax credits. It’s a small step in increasing education choice for students who suffer when they are assigned to and stuck in bad schools. Education choice should be expanded for all students, since there are students failing to be adequately educated even in what are considered good schools.”

Lennie Jarratt
Project Manager, Education
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


“The problem that plagues the EITC is the problem that plagues tax-credit scholarship programs nationwide: the lack of money made available to them. House Bill 1606 represents a 25 percent increase in funding for the EITC. While this is not a panacea, it is still a step forward, and it means many more Pennsylvania children will have access to high-quality schools that meet their widely diverse needs. The legislators who voted for this bill should be commended.”

Tim Benson
Policy Analyst
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000


The Heartland Institute is a 32-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.