Trump’s new federal school choice program includes an irresistible pathway for taxpayers to help kids.

You DO have choices you know!!!

As we kick off National School Choice Week, there’s never been a more exciting time for families who seek educational freedom. Governors across the country now have a golden opportunity to opt their states in early to President Trump’s innovative federal tax credit scholarship program embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, unlocking scholarships for millions of kids without touching a dime of public school funding.

The Treasury Department and IRS have made it official: Governors can submit an early opt-in to the game-changing program right now. The initiative offers a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 per individual or $3,400 for married couples filing jointly. Those individuals or couples who choose to donate to scholarship-granting organizations that help lower-income families access private schools, homeschooling resources, or other educational options will see that same amount of money removed from their tax liability. Eligibility is capped at families earning up to 300 percent of the area’s median income.

To put the income cap in perspective, consider a family in Los Angeles, where the median household income for a four-person family is around $106,600. Three hundred percent of that amount reaches $319,800. Even solidly middle-class and upper-middle-class families in high-cost areas like Los Angeles qualify. In Dallas — with a median household income of about $76,800 — 300 percent comes out to roughly $230,500. Census data show that more than 85 percent of families there will be eligible to apply to receive scholarships in the program’s first year.

Donations will surge because contributors are no worse off financially. That $1,700 (or $3,400) owed in taxes can go to the government, where it’ll likely get wasted on bureaucracy, or get redirected to fund scholarships for kids in need. This tax credit program is a win-win — taxpayers support real change, and families get life-changing opportunities.

Already, 19 forward-thinking governors have signaled they’ll opt their states in this year: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Most are Republicans, but one standout is Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis, who went on Fox News to champion the initiative and told the Colorado Sun that opting in to the program was a “no-brainer.” He even said he “would be crazy not to” opt in. He’s right.

The program’s built-in incentive structure is brilliant, much like how the federal 21-year-old drinking age is tied to highway funding. Anyone nationwide can donate and claim the tax credit, but scholarships are only available to residents in states whose governors opt in. The design creates real pressure — governors who sit on the sidelines risk leaving their state’s families out in the cold.

Hopefully, other Democrats will read the tea leaves and follow Polis’s lead. After all, he might be eyeing a 2028 presidential run as a moderate, and school choice polls with supermajority support across party lines — over 70 percent of Americans overall support school choice, including strong majorities among Republicans, Democrats, and independents. The nation is now watching Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another Democrat, to see if he’ll step up next: When Shapiro ran for governor in 2022, he explicitly included a private school choice program in his education platform. The federal program aligns perfectly with his stated vision.

Even in North Carolina, where Democratic Governor Josh Stein vetoed a school choice bill from the Republican legislature, there’s a glimmer of hope. His veto message acknowledged the value of choice options, signaling potential openness to Trump’s federal program.

Beyond the federal level, we’ll see traction in state legislatures this year, with GOP-controlled Mississippi emerging as a major focus. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has publicly posted in support of Speaker Jason White’s universal school choice proposal, H.B. 2. Governor Tate Reeves is making it a top priority: Passage would make Mississippi the 18th state to enact a publicly funded universal school choice program in just the past five years. That’s more progress on school choice in America than in the preceding five decades combined.

Not every governor has been as wise as Polis. Leaders in Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin had knee-jerk reactions and declared they wouldn’t participate — but hopefully, they’ll see the writing on the wall and reverse those hasty decisions. The program hands Democratic governors a perfect way to thread the needle: They can continue siding with teachers’ unions on public school funding while empowering families with more options. Crucially, the initiative doesn’t touch any local, state, or federal education dollars — it doesn’t take a single penny from public schools.

At its heart, school choice is about equality of opportunity, not partisanship. The Educational Choice for Children Act, a similar federal proposal, garnered support from 65 percent of American voters in a 2025 poll. School choice benefits the least advantaged more than anyone else. The wealthy and well connected already send their kids to top private schools, even as they pay taxes for the public system. But lower- and middle-income families often get stuck in failing public schools that discriminate based on zip code, perpetuating cycles of inequality.

School choice is the great equalizer. It gives every family — regardless of income or address — the same shot at a quality education. By opting in to Trump’s program, governors can supercharge the push for school choice in 2026, making it a banner year for bipartisan progress.

You Do Have a Choice: Metropolis.Café

Written by Corey Deangelis for the National Review ~ January 26, 2026