Ohio received a shoutout from the federal government on Friday in Columbus as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared with Sen. Jon Husted to give remarks promoting the Education Freedom Tax Credit.
The tax credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, was a provision of the Working Families Tax Cut, with Husted playing a major role.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced proposed regulations for the tax credit, which will be available on Jan. 1, 2027.
The tax credits have not only been promoted and celebrated by the Trump administration, but also by the Columbus-based Center for Christian Virtue, for whom school choice is a priority, especially through its Ohio Christian Education Network.
The roundtable was attended by Troy McIntosh, director of the education network, who spoke to the Daily Signal, saying his group was “pleased” to share with the secretary and senator how programs like the tax cuts “provide families with a life-altering educational option for their children.”
“By almost any measure, we are experiencing an educational crisis in our country,” McIntosh said. “Yet innovative programs like the FSTC that empower parents to make decisions for their children, and to escape a broken and philosophically damaged government school system, are vital to restoring our country to its place as a world leader in K-12 education.
“The fact is, according to the nation’s report card, two-thirds of Ohio’s public school eighth graders are not proficient in reading and three-fourths of them are not proficient in math. Without the lifeline that school choice programs and the FSTC provide, hundreds of thousands of children will be left in the system that produced these results.”
McIntosh added that his group looks forward to providing families better options “through the Christian Education Network SGO.”
Husted was Ohio speaker when the Legislature created the EdChoice scholarship, which is being litigated and is expected to ultimately end up at the Ohio Supreme Court. According to Husted, 150,000 students have made use of the program.
When speaking with WSYX ABC 6 following the roundtable, Husted did not mince words as he described the appellate court ruling as “terrible” and noted “it will be appealed and it will fail” and that “school choice will be preserved.” The program is allowed to continue while the state appeals.
Husted noted how school choice programs have been upheld before, further speaking to particular details of the litigation this time around.
“They’ve been forum shopping to find a judge or a couple judges that will strike it down. This will ultimately be upheld because this country was based on freedom,” the senator said. “This country values education and in the end families in Ohio will demand that they have access to being able to send their child to a school of their choice.’
Bessent promoted the human side of the event, as he said that the best part of his job “is visiting communities like this one to see how the president’s policies are reaching the American people,” which he framed as “policies to people.” Bessent also praised Husted for his leadership on the Working Families Tax Cuts, noting that “none of the progress that we’re here to discuss today would have been possible without him.”
The secretary also promoted the tax credits and school choice as being able to “access to a quality education and the chance to achieve the American dream.”
“The Education Freedom Tax Credit will allow Americans to contribute to any scholarship granting organization of their choice and then reduce their federal tax bill dollar for dollar by up to $1,700,” Bessent explained.
Families can choose faith-based private schools, like the Crown Preparatory Academy where the event was held, or use the funds for services for those families remaining in public schools.
Bessent also later spoke to the importance of parents who want to “tailor their children’s learning experience,” making clear this program is not a voucher, as parents can keep their children in public school and make use of supplemental education.
“Different kinds of students require different kinds of support, and the great virtue of this program is that it will lower costs for parents and families however they seek to use a scholarship all without diverting a dime from local public schools. Here in Ohio, Sen. Husted championed a scholarship that has helped over 100,000 families find the right education for their children,” Bessent explained.
The secretary explained that, among all 50 states, 30 states currently have opted in to the program. He encouraged the remaining states to participate “so that every student is eligible for a life-changing scholarship.”
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are working to place the full range of a family’s educational needs within reach and to give every American child the chance to flourish,” Bessent said.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
