Governors should opt into Trump school choice tax credit to compliment state programs

Last Independence Day, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law, furthering many key priorities of the Trump administration. Tucked inside the multihundred-page bill was a short provision that, beginning in 2027, could have a significant impact on K-12 students, unofficially known as the Federal Tax Credit for Scholarships.

The FTCS will provide taxpayers with a nonrefundable federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for qualified donations to scholarship-granting organizations, or SGOs. Donations to SGOs will fund scholarships distributed to students in grades K-12 to help cover expenses such as tuition, tutoring, therapies, books, supplies, internet access, and more. All children whose families do not exceed a generous income cap are eligible — children in public schools as well as privately educated children. For states that opt into the program, the benefits are undeniable, as it costs them nothing.

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) even said opting in is a “no-brainer,” going so