Michigan’s education establishment is moving to shut down an opportunity it hasn’t even really yet considered.
The State Board of Education is preparing to oppose participation in a few federal tax scholarship program — a move that would preemptively try to block families from accessing education options before the state has even weighed the benefits.
The program was created following the July 2025 passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill. It would give up to a $1,700 federal tax credit to individual donors who contribute to Scholarship-Granting Organizations (SGOs) designated through the state, and those funds could go toward a plethora of education-related needs for public, private and homeschooled children.
Michigan just needs to opt in. So far, it hasn’t.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s response has been silence. That’s unacceptable.
At a moment when Michigan’s reading and math scores continue to lag — and in many cases decline — the state’s posture should be one of urgency.
Instead, it’s avoiding help that is readily available.
Whitmer herself has acknowledged the devastating impact of pandemic-induced lockdowns on Michigan kids and has a signed a bill to limit cell phone use in schools. Families are struggling and students are falling behind.
Yet Lansing’s instinct is to quash competition, not force improvement.
With the kind of educational outcomes Michigan has, shouldn’t institutional leaders be willing to try everything?
The federal tax scholarship program is simply an option that would allow private donations, incentivized through tax credits, to fund scholarships for K-12 students across public, private and homeschool settings.
It’s flexible, and therefore valuable. That is also why it is a threat to the monopoly of Michigan’s public school system and the teachers’ unions that control it.
The program could help students, particularly those stuck in underperforming schools.
But the State Board is attempting to label it as something it’s not, dismissing it as a “voucher-style subsidy” and raising constitutional concerns before any real implementation has even been proposed.
Whitmer could opt into the program at any moment. Republican gubernatorial contenders have promised to opt in on Jan. 1, 2027, the last day to do so, if they are elected.
This federal scholarship program offers a clear option that barely involves the state whatsoever.
Yet Whitmer and the education board resist, despite the governor’s stated agenda around increasing investment in education. Throwing more money at the problem has not improved the outcomes.
There must be outside-the-box thinking and systemic change. The federal program could offer a little of both.
Opting into it would not dismantle public education. It would provide additional pathways for students who need alternative options or more support for transportation, tutoring, afterschool programs and homeschooling classes.
It would introduce a level of competition that could drive improvement across the system.
Blocking that option before it’s even been tested sends the message that protecting the system and interests are more important than serving the students.
When it comes to ways to invest in education, every option should be worth exploring.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Our View: Michigan families deserve aid, choice in education
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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