Federal scholarship for private school and homeschooling will be open to most kids in 30-plus states

Nearly all schoolchildren in at least 30 states can apply for a new federal scholarship next year to help pay for private school, homeschooling and other educational expenses, according to regulations proposed Thursday by the Trump administration.The first national school choice scholarship program, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will launch Jan. 1, establishing a taxpayer-funded incentive for families to choose private or homeschooling in participating states. Taxpayers who donate to an organization passing out the scholarships will receive a federal tax credit, a perk expected to further fuel the conservative school choice movement.About 96% of children in those states should be eligible, according to the department.

Children attending public schools could use the scholarships for extra learning expenses.School choice scholarships have been available for decades in conservative-led states and throughout the South, giving individual students taxpayer-funded grants ranging from a couple thousand dollars to more than $30,000 a year. In places where they are available to all students regardless of income, such as Florida and Arizona, the majority of students using the money were already in private or home school or were from affluent neighborhoods, an analysis by The Associated Press showed.The federal program departs from most state programs by not forcing students to leave public school to qualify for the scholarship. Public school students could use the money for tutoring or special education therapies, although the Republican administration has not provided specific criteria for eligible expenses yet.Regulators say they have set up the program in a way that will make it easier for poor students to apply, proposing to let students use proof of participation in a government assistance program in lieu of providing income documentation.

Foster children would not have to provide any income verification when they apply, officials said.Experiences with school choice scholarships in other states have shown barriers to using the programs go beyond paperwork hurdles. Many families often do not know scholarship programs exist. Federal officials have not said how they would tell taxpayers and students about the scholarships.How the scholarship and tax credit will workTaxpayers will have the chance to donate to a scholarship program in a participating state, even…

The Trump administration has proposed rules for a new federal scholarship program that launches at the start of next year The first national school choice scholarship program, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will launch Jan. About 96% of children in those states should be eligible, according to the department.

School choice scholarships have been available for decades in conservative-led states and throughout the South, giving individual students taxpayer-funded grants ranging from a couple thousand dollars to more than $30,000 a year. The federal program departs from most state programs by not forcing students to leave public school to qualify for the scholarship. Regulators say they have set up the program in a way that will make it easier for poor students to apply, proposing to let students use proof of participation in a government assistance program in lieu of providing income documentation.

Experiences with school choice scholarships in other states have shown barriers to using the programs go beyond paperwork hurdles. How the scholarship and tax credit will work Taxpayers will have the chance to donate to a scholarship program in a participat…