New bill expands school choice; Catholic leaders applaud, urge caution

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

Congress has approved a historic school choice scholarship program designed to help families send their children to the schools of their choice — a “weakened” form of a program long anticipated by the U.S. Catholic bishops. 

With the passage of the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” tax credits will be given to donors who contribute to nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations in what school choice advocates have called a “historic” moment for school choice.  

The bill, which the president is expected to sign on Independence Day, will create a school choice tax credit program that states can opt in to. The spending cap for the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is not yet clear, though in a previous House version of the bill, it was capped at about $5 billion annually. 

The tax credit program will likely make Catholic schools more accessible for students across the country.

Earlier this year, an annual Catholic school data report by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) found that 18% of students use school choice programs. With the rising access to school choice programs across various states in recent years, the percentage has been growing and is up 5% from last year’s report.

Scholarships can be used not only for tuition but also for other educational necessities such as books and computer software.

The NCEA, a longtime advocate of school choice, applauded the inclusion of the ECCA in the bill.

Because of the bill, “families nationwide may receive additional assistance toward exercising their parental right to choose the educational options that best meet the needs of their children,” said NCEA Vice President of Public Policy Sister Dale McDonald of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

McDonald told CNA that “NCEA looks forward to welcoming students in Catholic schools across the nation whose families may now be able to access a Catholic education for their children.”

John DeJak, director for the Secretariat of Catholic Education for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), told CNA that this legislation was long anticipated but added that he had some concerns about its implementation. 

“U.S. Catholic bishops have been advocating for this type of legislation for a long time,” DeJak said.

The USCCB’s support for the bill, he said, stems from both a desire to help families afford education and “to support the Church’s teaching on parents as the primary educators.”

But the bill comes with lots of “unknowns,” said DeJak, who has concerns about the implementation of the bill and religious liberty protections.

As the bill went back and forth between the House and Senate, “it was significantly watered down,” DeJak noted.

The ECCA is an “opt in” program, meaning that states are not required to participate. In addition, the later versions of the bill removed religious liberty clauses that emphasized freedom of operation for schools.

“There are no explicit protections for religious liberty, which is a problem for us,” DeJak said. 

“That doesn’t mean we won’t be able to participate,” he said, adding that “much remains to be seen in terms of rulemaking, in terms of state and local conditions.” 

DeJak looked ahead to continuing advocacy for school choice. Federal and state groups will have to continue advocating for school choice as the program is implemented, he acknowledged.

“It’s important for the USCCB to remain advocates and engaged at the federal level… but also advocacy by bishops in their diocese and in their states, and with their state Catholic conferences,” DeJak said.

He put it simply: “We are positive, but cautious.”

The Catholic bishops will continue to advocate “for even more robust parental choice,” DeJak added.

“The bishops have long supported parents in their liberty and their freedom to choose the best education for their kids and legislation that gives them tools to do that.”

Tommy Schultz, CEO of the national school choice group American Federation for Children, called the passing of school choice “a historic moment for America’s families and students” and eagerly anticipated Trump signing it into law. 

Schultz emphasized in his July 3 statement that his organization will “continue to fight to ensure that this tax credit scholarship mechanism is well implemented — and expanded as soon as possible.”

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265181/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-expands-school-choice-catholic-leaders-applaud-urge-caution