Dear Matzav Inbox,

There is a growing wave of excitement surrounding the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), but much of that enthusiasm feels wildly out of proportion to what the program will actually deliver. Once the details are examined, it becomes clear that this is being sold as a breakthrough when, in reality, it is a limited initiative.

Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble.

These are not school vouchers.

ECCA will not pay people’s tuition.

It’s a tax credit.

So let’s take a look at this tax credit.

Start with who actually benefits. This is the main point. The income cap—set at 300 percent of the poverty level—means that many frum middle-income families, the very ones struggling most with tuition, will likely be shut out. A “frum middle-income family” usually earns more than the average American middle-income family, because we need more to live. These are families who earn too much to qualify for assistance but nowhere near enough to comfortably pay private school tuition. For them, ECCA offers nothing.

Even for those who do qualify, the numbers don’t add up. A maximum benefit of $1,700 is a small percentage of the cost of tuition. Most parents are paying at least 4 or 5 times that amount per child. Calling this meaningful relief is misleading at best. It does not meaningfully change the financial reality for families drowning in tuition bills.

Thirdly, an important point is that while 27 states have already opted in to the program, only one Democratic governor, Jared Polis of Colorado, has opted in so far. New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s support, which you reported on last week, may help encourage other states to opt in. But as of now, it is no guarantee.

Then there is the inevitable market response. If schools know that parents are receiving additional funds—even modest ones—there is a strong incentive to raise tuition accordingly. We have seen this dynamic play out in other sectors. Subsidies often lead to price increases. I’ve spoken to several school administrators. They openly admitted this to be the case. Instead of easing the burden, ECCA could simply shift it, leaving parents no better off than before.

There are other weaknesses in this program. I’ll let others chime in with them.

But let’s slow down on the celebrations. Seriously.

The bottom line and the point of this letter is that ECCA is being presented as a sweeping solution to the tuition crisis. It is not. It is a modest, complicated, and uncertain program that risks creating more expectations than it can possibly fulfill. Instead of celebrating prematurely, we should be asking harder questions about whether this is real relief—or just the appearance of it.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Parent

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