OBBB Act empowers parents to shape their children’s future

By Bethany Mandel | Washington Examiner

Hardly anyone is talking about it, but Congress has just passed one of the most consequential education reforms in history.

Tucked into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a provision that could transform how families access education, reshape the politics of schooling, and finally give parents the power to direct their children’s learning. The legislation establishes a first-of-its-kind federal tax credit scholarship program, open to all types of educational settings. Beginning in 2027, people will be able to claim a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, up to $1,700 annually, for donations to educational nonprofit groups that fund K–12 scholarships for low- and middle-income students. The scholarships are designed to be flexible, meeting the wide-ranging needs of modern families. Parents can use them for tuition, tutoring, books, uniforms, transportation, educational technology, or special-needs services. And because they are classified as tax-free for recipients, the scholarships will provide real, immediate support rather than burdensome paperwork.

It is not a small pilot program or a symbolic gesture but a structural shift. Federal law now recognizes that parents, not bureaucrats, should hold the reins of their children’s education. Remarkably, this sweeping change has been barely discussed in the media, as if the country doesn’t realize a quiet revolution has already begun.

The path to passage has been a long one. For nearly a decade, the American Federation for Children, the nation’s leading school choice advocacy group, has been pushing for such a measure. Tommy Schultz, AFC’s CEO, reflected on the journey: “AFC played the lead role in the advocacy efforts of the federal tax credit scholarship for the last 8 years. Once President-elect Donald J. Trump selected AFC’s board chair, Betsy DeVos, to be Secretary of Education in 2017, the dream of advancing a federal school choice bill was finally possible. AFC deployed millions each year to advance the legislative efforts with lawmakers and staff, and they managed the key partnerships and coalition supporters across nonprofits, schools, faith leaders, and scholarship organizations.”

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