Are they fighting for your family, or for a system?

Sharon Sedlar | May 22, 2025

There’s been a lot of talk lately about school choice – in part, because the federal government is stepping in due to states that refuse to acknowledge and act on the failure to serve students. Because the movement has so much momentum (mostly in red states – sad but true), purple and blue states are feeling the sting. Those states are being left behind as are their students.

So of course those opposed to any choice outside of the district system in Pennsylvania are very busy everywhere – op-eds, social media, emails, interviews, and the like urging people to reject the help being offered to children who have been marginalized for decades.

Programs like the PA Award for Student Success/Lifeline Scholarships specifically would help students in low-achieving schools with funding outside of public education funds, as would the Educational Choice for Children Act, which is a targeted tax credit program that could serve over 2 million students across all 50 states. But even though NONE of the funding comes from the pubic education budget, there are those opposed to these remedies for which kids are so desperate.

One of the most vocal members of the opposition lives in a small town near Harrisburg (we won’t address the other opposing person who lives in a community with median income of 6 digits, and proficiencies of 81% in reading and 67% in math in their affluent community). Their area has a 3.5% population disability rate, 2.8% poverty rate, only 9% population receiving SNAP benefits, and an average parent income of $67,000 ($84,000 for parent households). This particular area also has a proficiency rates of 53% in reading and 52% in math. Sixty-five percent of the households are married, and the single female head of household rate is only 11%.

We certainly aren’t saying that people from other, better-result producing communities can’t advocate for others. But what we ARE saying is that perspective matters. Urgency matters, Personal stories of an “out” needed NOW matter.

Compare those above areas to the disability percentage in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia of about 10%, or the poverty rate of 25% (Pittsburgh) or 31% (Philly). Those areas also have significantly lower income levels, and SNAP percentages of 40% in Pittsburgh and 47.5% in Philly.

Despite the massive education funding levels of $38,000 in both Philly and Pittsburgh, proficiency scores are awful: in Pittsburgh, proficiency at 37% in reading and 21% in math; in Philly, it’s even worse with proficiencies at 30% for reading and 14% for math. FOURTEEN PERCENT.

When you’re in a non-failing district, it’s easy to tell kids and families to hold on while the system gets “fixed” and new funding trickles down – maybe even a few extra pennies on the dollar hitting the actual classroom. Advocating for more money is easy – fixing the systemic issues that persist is difficult. We’ve been providing historic funding increases for YEARS and the problems persist, and I would argue even worsen.

It’s also easy for the opposition to deny the critical need for alternatives for kids – especially if they haven’t been where we have. Told no by the system time and time again – excuses like “That’s all we can do. We don’t have the staff. We don’t have the money. Your child doesn’t need it. Your child doesn’t qualify for services. It must be something at home that’s wrong.” Forcing families to take what the system provides, or leave (sometimes) to the family’s detriment. The family may have to move (if they can), stay home with their child (and give up their job), or maybe even get another job to be able to afford a private school that better serves their child. The entire family suffers when the education system fails a child.

And what’s worse is that some don’t only blockade advancement in school choice policy, but they are on a mission to demean and dismantle options currently available simply because they don’t understand the need for them. But so many other families do.

We here at PaFEC want families to have all options available. We respect parents as the best decision-maker for their child – whether it’s district, charter, private or home education. We respect every single parent chosen pathway.

The next time you see an article or comment on the school choice front lines, ask yourself – are they fighting for families, or for the system? Then you’ll know whose side YOU should be on.

*figures above taken from nces.gov and usnews.com