Democrats and public education advocates are sparring over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s record on school vouchers as the Pennsylvania governor’s name is being floated as a potential running mate to presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
This week, more than two dozen education advocacy organizations — including 412 Justice and Education Rights Network in Pittsburgh — penned a letter to Ms. Harris urging her to select a vice president who “unabashedly supports and defends public education.”
Mr. Shapiro’s past support for school vouchers in Pennsylvania — which would have provided funds for disadvantaged K-12 students to attend private schools — precludes him from that status, the groups’ leaders believe.
“Governors Roy Cooper (North Carolina), Andy Beshear (Kentucky) and Tim Walz (Minnesota) have been vocal champions for public education in their states,” part of their letter reads. “We find it incumbent upon us to note that Governor Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania) has not, and instead has supported voucher schemes.”
Last year, Mr. Shapiro broke party lines to push for a $100 million voucher system funded by the state treasury. Under the system, students in low-achieving school districts could have received scholarships to help pay tuition costs at private schools. The governor vetoed the plan after heavy pressure from state Democrats.
His bid to become the country’s second-highest executive has received support from some education leaders in the state, including Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union that was opposed to the voucher plan.
Mr. Chapin was among 50 Pennsylvanian union leaders who pushed Ms. Harris to select Mr. Shapiro as her running mate in a Friday letter.
State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, who serves as chair of the House Education Committee, also threw his support behind Mr. Shapiro in a thread on X this week.
Manuel Bonder, spokesman for Mr. Shapiro, called the governor a “champion for public education” in a Friday statement to the Post-Gazette.
“In his time in office, Gov. Shapiro has consistently delivered historic increases in public education funding and finally, after decades of inaction, moved Pennsylvania toward adequately and equitably funding our public schools,” Mr. Bonder said. “Despite being the only governor in the nation with a divided legislature — and despite bad faith attacks from all sides — Josh Shapiro has been a champion for public education and delivered real results.”
Mr. Bonder did not directly address the advocacy groups’ letter or say whether Mr. Shapiro still supports school vouchers.
Politically, school vouchers are often a red vs. blue issue, though polling has indicated that nearly three-fourths of Americans support school choice. School choice advocates say vouchers can expand opportunities for students and parents, while opponents believe vouchers would take money away from already struggling school districts.
Though vouchers were a sticking point in Pennsylvania’s 2023-24 budget, debates continued during the most recent budget cycle. Talks included input from rapper Jay-Z, whose entertainment company Roc Nation called on the state to invest $300 million in a voucher program.
During his gubernatorial campaign, Mr. Shapiro said he favored “adding choices for parents and educational opportunities for students and funding lifeline scholarships,” or school vouchers, according to web archives of his campaign website.
Mr. Shapiro reiterated this view on Fox News in June 2023, saying “one of the best ways we can guarantee success is making sure every child has a quality education.” The governor later clarified that he only favored vouchers and school choice programs if they did not cut into funding for public schools.
Mr. Shapiro is on the shortlist of potential VP picks for Ms. Harris, the Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday. Other possible candidates for the job include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
First Published: July 27, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: July 27, 2024, 8:00 p.m.
