The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA)—a federal tax credit scholarship proposal—has reignited national debate over education and how best to ensure all families have access to educational opportunities that meet their children’s unique needs.
The ECCA could establish a system where individuals and businesses receive a 100% federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). These scholarships would then provide tuition assistance to families.
The Latest Version of the Bill
ECCA was included in the “Big Beautiful Bill” introduced by House Republicans this week. However, the crucial religious freedom and private school autonomy provisions were stripped from the bill, and language was added requiring participating private schools to fund IEPs out of their own money. These two provisions may make it difficult for private school leaders to support ECCA.
Balancing State Needs with a National Model
Washington’s private schools, which serve over 90,000 students and employ thousands of educators, are diverse in size, mission, and religious affiliation. Any scholarship-granting organization must preserve this diversity and autonomy while aligning with the state’s transparency, equity, and educational quality values.
One challenge posed by the ECCA is how SGOs would be structured and administered. The bill caps administrative costs at 10%, a limit that may be unrealistic for organizations starting from scratch in states like Washington. States like Florida, which served as a model for ECCA, already have robust SGO systems and are looking to contract with other states to implement similar models.
Is School Choice a Tool for Equity?
While the phrase “school choice” is politically charged, the underlying goal of the ECCA resonates with many Washington families interested in ensuring their children are in ideal learning environments. In the wake of pandemic-era disruptions, many families seek more flexible, specialized, or values-based education options. Expanding educational access could help:
- Improve student attendance through better school fit
- Support specialized interests like STEM, arts, or language immersion
- Address mental health and motivation by aligning learning environments with student needs
- Reduce opportunity gaps by providing lower-income families access to choices already available to wealthier families
When families can access the learning environment that best suits their children, communities and, ultimately, our state are stronger for it.
