After Governor Hochul made a Friday night decision to opt-in to the Trump administration's so-called 'Education Freedom Tax Credit' program, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams and the NAACP New York State Conference issued the following joint statement:
"Governor Hochul’s decision to opt New York into the Trump administration’s federal school voucher scheme is deeply disappointing and a dangerous step backward for public education. At a time when our public schools are struggling to meet the needs of students, particularly Black and brown children, students with disabilities, and working-class families, we should be strengthening our public education system, not embracing a federal program that subsidizes private institutions without requiring the same standards of equity, access, and accountability for all, including students of LGBTQIA+ identities.
"Calling this program ‘education freedom’ does not change the reality that it risks deepening educational inequities and undermining the schools that serve the overwhelming majority of New York’s children. After decades of fighting in court for fair funding for New York City’s public schools, we cannot afford policies that threaten to undermine that hard-won progress. New York should be standing against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle public education, not helping advance them. Our students deserve real investment in their futures, not a backdoor effort to privatize education. If the governor truly intends to opt into this flawed program, not a single dollar should be dispersed until all qualifying organizations are publicly named and the proper oversight is established to ensure all students, including public school students, have equal access to these funds."
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