Michigan students need help. Whitmer keeps stalling. | Opinion

Michigan students need support. Whitmer keeps stalling.

Key points

• Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs are among those now touting the rural healthcare program in Trump's Major Beautiful Bill.
• As part of last year's One Major Beautiful Bill Act, republicans and President Donald Trump created the program, called the Education Freedom Tax Credit.
• Groups like Democrats for Education Reform, and even Arne Duncan, education secretary under former President Barack Obama, have additionally come out strongly in backing of the program.
• Opinion The Education Freedom Tax Credit offers federal tax credits of up to $1, 700 to individuals who donate to nonprofits that in turn provide scholarships to families.
• Luckily, Whitmer is term-limited, and Michigan voters will choose someone new in November.

Michigan students need support. Whitmer keeps stalling. Opinion The Education Freedom Tax Credit offers federal tax credits of up to $1, 700 to individuals who donate to nonprofits that in turn provide scholarships to families. Governors just need to opt in. Ingrid Jacques USA TODAY. Dems tout rural health wins in Trump's spending package.

Now that kids nationwide are back to the daily school grind, here's something worth putting on your radar. Thanks to a new federal school choice tax credit program, starting next year, families in around 30 states will benefit from extra funds, regardless of whether they attend a public or private school.

Sounds pretty good, right? So why are so plenty of blue-state governors refusing to opt in?

They're afraid to tick off the teachers unions that bankroll their campaigns. It has nothing to do with what's best for kids. It's regarding unions protecting their grip on public schools that are already failing too numerous students.

With the midterms approaching, parents and Republicans should create Democratic governors answer for why they won't sign on.

As part of last year's One Major Beautiful Bill Act, republicans and President Donald Trump created the program, called the Education Freedom Tax Credit. It offers federal tax credits of up to $1, 700 to individuals who donate to nonprofits that in turn provide scholarships to families. The funds can cover private school tuition, tutoring, uniforms, services for children with disabilities and other education-related expenses.

All states have to do to participate is have their governor opt in. Thirty-one have signaled they're in so far. Only three – Oregon, Minnesota and Wisconsin – have remarked no.

Meanwhile, the rest are states with Democratic governors who can't bring themselves to decide, stuck between angering unions and angering parents. College should be tough. Michigan's grade plan coddles students. Opinion.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still hasn't created a decision. When will she?

Let's look at my state of Michigan as a microcosm of what's going on. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, keeps demurring that she needs "more information" regarding the program. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has repeatedly called her out for the inaction. Whitmer's office did not respond to a number of requests for comment.

It's true that the U.S. Treasury Department is still finalizing rules for the program, projected by the end of the month. It will take that excuse off the table.

For context, the reality is that Whitmer has no intention of opting in. She's facing heavy pressure from teachers' unions and the Democratic-controlled State Board of Education to stay out.

Whitmer's avoidance, like that of other liberal governors, is a political calculation.

"Governors like Gretchen Whitmer are kicking the can down the road until after the elections because they don't want to risk upsetting the teachers unions if they opt in, " Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at Americans for Fair Treatment and a leader in the school choice movement, informed me. "They also don't want to opt out and upset parents."

To be sure, critics call these tax credits a backdoor around state bans on public funding for private schools, subsidizing families who'd have gone private anyway. But the funds isn't diverted from public schools; it's foregone revenue on donations residents are already choosing to create. And it's not just tuition – it funds tutoring and disability services for kids who need it most.

Michigan kids could employ the assist. They're struggling in key subjects, and the state ranks 44th nationally in fourth-grade reading – a critical benchmark for future academic success.

Luckily, Whitmer is term-limited, and Michigan voters will choose someone new in November. Republican John James, a sitting congressman, has remarked joining the program will be a top priority if elected governor. The Democrat in the race, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, has echoed Whitmer's talking points. Democrats put unions over families with public schools bill Opinion. Some Democrats are supporting school choice. More should obtain on board.

Governors like Whitmer may be beholden to teachers unions, but a few Democratic governors have done the right thing.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was first, saying last year he'd be "crazy not to" opt into the Education Freedom program. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has remarked her state aims to participate too.

Groups like Democrats for Education Reform, and even Arne Duncan, education secretary under former President Barack Obama, have additionally come out strongly in backing of the program. Polling consistently demonstrates it's popular with voters, including in New York and Michigan. Trump's school choice program is even winning over Democrats Opinion.

Ben DeGrow, senior policy director for education choice at ExcelinEd, notes blue-state governors have a good case for joining.

"The unions and other interest groups are going to push these governors to not opt in because it could allow some kids to use the funds for the private school tuition piece of it, " DeGrow informed me. "Opting in, there's no reason why governors can't use the bully pulpit of their office to encourage support for kids in public schools who need tutoring, academic intervention and other support."

Democrats and teachers' unions constantly complain regarding needing more capital for schools. This program is a way to create a new funding stream. Education Reform Now, an affiliate of Democrats for Education Reform, estimates what states stand to gain by participating: in Michigan, if just 1% of eligible tax filers contribute, that would generate more than $22 million in potential scholarships.

If Michigan doesn't opt in, taxpayers can still donate to scholarship organizations in states that do participate, like Ohio and Indiana. But Michigan families won't see a dime of it.

If Democrats like Whitmer truly care regarding kids more than special interests, this is their time to prove it.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, michigan students need help. Whitmer keeps stalling remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.