Yankee Institute supports Opportunity Scholarships because this program helps all students excel in the classroom today and achieve their dreams tomorrow. This reform does not take any money from public schools and will help improve educational outcomes for all students.

Nearly two dozen other states currently have a tax-credit scholarship program that incentivizes donations to scholarship-granting organizations. In 2022 alone, 325,168 students utilized these scholarships in 21 states, including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania—where the program was recently expanded.

This reform is of vital importance in Connecticut because our public school system faces one of the largest gaps in academic outcomes between high- and low-income households.

Opportunity Scholarships help close that gap by giving students from low-income households greater access to the same educational opportunities outside traditional public schools that high-income families currently enjoy. Additionally, this program will help improve outcomes for students who remain in traditional public schools.

There are hundreds—if not thousands—of students in every legislative district in Connecticut who could benefit from the scholarships this program would provide. For example, over 3,000 students in Hartford, more than 7,000 in Stamford, over 14,000 in Bridgeport, a couple of hundred in Salisbury, more than 500 in East Lyme, over 700 in Plainville, and more than 800 in Newington could see life-changing opportunities.

Connecticut spends more money per child on education than almost any other state and is home to some of the highest-performing schools in the nation. However, our K-12 education gaps between high- and low-income households remain a challenge no community can afford to ignore. A tax-credit scholarship program will help shrink this gap—without harming public schools.

The story of Marva Collins, who founded an independent school in a struggling Chicago neighborhood and built a beacon of opportunity for students often told they could not succeed, serves as a testament to the transformative power of school choice.

One of the most extensive recent studies on similar programs found that not only did scholarship recipients improve academically, but so did students who remained in traditional public schools.

Measurable improvements in academic outcomes, chronic absenteeism, suspensions, and other key indicators demonstrate the benefits of tax-credit scholarships. These same positive outcomes can be expected in Connecticut—without taking funding away from public schools.

A 2021 study of 40 private school choice programs across 19 states found they saved a cumulative $12.4 billion to $28.3 billion—equating to an average of $1.80 to $2.85 in savings for every dollar spent. Another study estimates that $100 million in tax-credit scholarships would yield $3 billion in economic benefits from higher lifetime earnings, increased tax revenue, and reductions in criminal activity.

If there are concerns about the cost, policymakers could consider scaling back other tax credits, such as the film and digital media production tax credit.

Yankee Institute urges the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee to pass Opportunity Scholarships so families in Connecticut can access better educational opportunities.