Gov. Jared Polis’ decision to opt Colorado into a new federal tax-credit scholarship program championed by the Trump administration has prompted a wave of criticism from public-school advocates and praise from school-choice supporters.
But amid the noise, Polis made the right call for Colorado, and he did so without compromising the state’s commitment to strong public schools.
Under the new federal program, taxpayers can receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit when they donate to so-called certified scholarship-granting organizations. The program allows for up to $1,700 in tax credits, beginning in 2027.
Those organizations award the donations as scholarships and grants to help families pay for a broad array of educational expenses. That includes private school tuition, yes, but it also includes essentials like after-school programming, tutoring, transportation, books, uniforms, and summer programs, at private or public schools.
Families making up to three times the area median income are eligible. In Aurora, where the median income is about $89,000, it means that families with incomes as high as $267,000 could qualify for the program.
The program is, indeed, “voucher-like,” as critics and supporters have both pointed out. But it is not a voucher system. Polis is correct to draw that distinction.
Vouchers use state dollars. These tax-credit scholarships do not. Nor do they reallocate state education funds. They do not divert dollars from the state’s per-pupil funding formula. They do not pull money out of public classrooms.
Donors cannot earmark specific students as recipients. They can, however, target schools for their donations.
The Sentinel has for decades warned against the danger of voucher programs. A strong public school system is the foundation for a strong Colorado community.
School vouchers, and in some sense even charter schools, detract from the state’s ability to sustain a public schools system that allows everyone to attain their goals through education.
Colorado’s biggest obstacle to creating a better public school system is simply funding. The school system in the state has for generations been short-changed, which only serves to provoke calls for private-school vouchers couched as “school choice.”
In this case, however, this program simply gives Coloradans the option to direct more of their own federal tax money toward educational expenses that can benefit both private- and public-school students.
As Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman put it, according to reporting in Chalkbeat Colorado, opting in prevents Colorado from “leaving hundreds of millions in federal money on the table” that could strengthen after-school programs, summer learning, scholarships, and tutoring.
The program supplements public education. It doesn’t supplant it.
Colorado has rightfully rejected vouchers, repeatedly and firmly. Voters turned down Amendment 80 in 2024, which aimed to enshrine school choice in the state Constitution. They rejected a separate education-funding measure in 2021.
A robust public school system is essential to both academic achievement and a functioning democracy, and real voucher systems are a threat to that foundation. They shift taxpayer dollars into private institutions without the accountability or universal access that public schools guarantee.
Most importantly, the new program requires no state financial investment. It is enabling residents to bring new economic resources into the state.
Critics, including organizations like the Colorado Education Association, Colorado PTA, and the Bell Policy Center, raise legitimate concerns about accountability and the mixed national results of voucher programs. These concerns deserve scrutiny and ongoing vigilance. But they should not be misapplied to a program that, by design, operates outside the state’s education budget and opens pathways for public-school students to participate.
Should this Trump administration program change, and especially should it require Colorado to implement a voucher system, there is no question but to pull the plug.
Colorado families enrolled in private schools, however, won’t turn to public schools if Polis snubs this tax-credit program. Improving public schools, through investment, could, however, eventually draw students away from expensive “school choice” options. Any and every economic investment in public schools makes that more, not less, possible.
For now, the choice is simple. Policymakers can embrace an opportunity to bring more federal resources into Colorado classrooms or leave those dollars to flow elsewhere.
Polis has taken the pragmatic path. This is not a private-school voucher. It is an opportunity. And Polis is right not to let it slip away.
A perfect response and a clear explanation of the program! I absolutely agree that the elephant in the room is the historic lag in public school funding by Colorado. Yes, we should applaud the recent increases; however, the state of Colorado still spends $2,000+ less per student than the median state in the US. This is personal to me. My daughter suffers from MS. She is a Science department head in a JeffCo school. She makes less money in Colorado than she did in Texas. Now, Colorado currently scores fairly well as a state in education, but Texas has the worst dropout rate (and has for years) even though they play games with the numbers. I can tell you that this WILL NOT continue. Colorado is an expensive state and it is getting more expensive. Texas ‐ not so much. My wife an I are 71 and because my daughter is paid so poorly and has sub par benefits and has so many out-of-pocket costs, we supplement her expenses. If Colorado won’t start paying teachers, the results won’t continue to be where they currently are! My daughter will tell you that her students will suffer, not her so much. That is her focus! She wants to improve the results for her students. Funding schools plus keeping focused teachers is the answer to that issue!