Exposed: Pennsylvania reveals Democrats’ lies about school choice as black voucher support reaches over 90%
On the steps of the Pennsylvania state Capitol, Democratic state Sen. Lindsey Williams vehemently opposed a proposed K-12 education-voucher program in front of a group of teachers-union officials.
She claimed it was a plot by racist, religious fundamentalists to dismantle public education by sending “straight, white, able-bodied kids into private religious schools.”
The following day, black religious leaders gathered at the state Capitol to urge Gov. Josh Shapiro to support the voucher program, known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success.
Additionally, Jay-Z announced his support for the legislation by funding a campaign to mobilize backing for the voucher program in Philadelphia, where more than 90% of black residents support it.
One might conclude that Jay-Z, Black Pastors United for Education, and most black Pennsylvania residents are secretly white supremacists, being unwittingly influenced by them, or that Sen. Williams is not truthful. However, the most plausible explanation is that Williams is not telling the truth.
Truth holds little value for many Democrats when it comes to education, as evidenced by Williams’ comments on vouchers and the controversial public-education funding proposal recently passed by Pennsylvania House Democrats.
They argue that public schools are inadequately funded, their proposal would alleviate high property taxes in Pennsylvania communities, and a 2023 court case legally required their proposal.
However, each of these arguments is unfounded. Pennsylvania’s average per-student public-education funding has increased significantly in recent years, making it more expensive than in-state tuition for a four-year college degree at Penn State University.
Furthermore, the Democrats’ proposal fails to address high property taxes, merely subsidizing them with increased state funding without requiring districts to lower taxes or preventing tax hikes.
Despite claims that their proposal is mandated by law due to a court ruling, the court did not specify that the state must increase funding by billions of dollars annually, leaving room for various reforms to rectify the unequal education funding system.
Opposition to school-choice legislation and public-school spending hikes by union-backed Democrats is not uncommon, but in Pennsylvania, the debate on education has taken a fanatical turn, with fiction playing a significant role in maximizing the government education bureaucracy.
Michael Torres, deputy editor at RealClearPennsylvania, focuses on politics, policy, education, and identity politics.
Twitter: @mindoftorres
