Two years ago, Governor Josh Shapiro boldly promised to save Pennsylvania’s children trapped in failing schools.
When asked on Fox News about the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS), also known as Lifeline Scholarships, he said, “I believe every child of God deserves a shot here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And one of the best ways we can guarantee their success is making sure every child has a quality education.”
With these words, he cleared a political path for the PASS/Lifeline Scholarships Program. Unfortunately, 12 days later, he broke that promise.
Unfinished business
Facing vehement opposition from teacher unions and House Democrats, he removed the scholarships from the 2023–24 budget. He called the issue “unfinished business,” encouraging legislators to work together and find a solution.
It’s been two years.
The governor recently had another opportunity to support school choice. Senate Bill 10 — which would establish the PASS/Lifeline Scholarships program — passed an 8–3 bipartisan vote in the Senate Education Committee. When commenting on the bill, he simply said, “No position.”
First, on the campaign trail, he promised to support PASS/Lifeline Scholarships. Then he vetoed it from his first budget, but suggested that lawmakers could reach a deal. Now, he won’t flex a political muscle to make it happen.
As we all know, not every Pennsylvania kid has a shot at a quality education. Far too many don’t. Pennsylvania’s lowest-performing schools — the bottom 15% based on statewide testing — trap more than 200,000 students.
And these students’ educational choices are sparse. They either live in a school district with no other schools or cannot afford a private option — or both. Zip codes and household income should not determine a student’s educational success.
Dire situation
The need for educational reform is long overdue. Seven out of ten Pennsylvania eighth graders cannot perform math and reading at grade level, according to the results of the 2024 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.
The situation is even more dire in the commonwealth’s lowest-performing schools. In the bottom 15% of schools, only 7% of Pennsylvania high schools are proficient in math. In 18 of these schools, zero students are proficient in either math or reading. Zero.
Opponents of PASS/Lifeline Scholarships claim that the program will only worsen things and take money away from public schools. Back when you supported the program, you said, “I won’t take a dollar out of our public schools to achieve that.”
And the scholarships would have peacefully coexisted in a budget that also awarded more than $600 million in new funding for public education. Pennsylvania lawmakers also added another $150 million to Pennsylvania’s two existing tax-credit scholarship programs: the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs.
Other states have increased public education funding alongside increased school choice. Ohio recently added $1 billion in new funding for public schools while also adding universal eligibility to the state’s EdChoice Scholarship program.
Pennsylvania doesn’t have to choose between public schools and school choice. A well-funded public education system and school choice are not mutually exclusive concepts. Educational opportunity is not a zero-sum equation.
Moreover, this is exactly what Pennsylvanians want. Recent polling shows that 70% of Pennsylvania voters support PASS/Lifeline Scholarships. And this support transcends party affiliation, geography, race, and socioeconomic status.
Empowering parents
But this isn’t about politics. This is about making sure every child of God has a quality education.
The PASS/Lifeline Scholarships Program empowers parents and students, especially those in dire circumstances, to find the best possible schools for them. This could be a genuine pathway out of poverty and violence for tens of thousands of Pennsylvania students.
Gov. Shapiro can still do the right thing: Reach across the aisle, work with the legislature, and negotiate a budget that includes PASS/Lifeline Scholarships.
Megan Martin is COO of the Commonwealth Foundation. Judy Ward represents Pennsylvania’s 30th Senate District and is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 10.
First Published: June 12, 2025, 4:30 a.m.
