Cecilia Retelle Zywicki

As the hourglass drains on opt-in time for the Federal Education Tax Credit, one of the states I'm watching - Pennsylvania.

PA deserves a GIANT shoutout for the work it has already done to give families real options.

Charters, cyber charters, state tax-credit scholarships, and district-level innovation have given parents a taste of what education freedom looks like in practice.

PA has done A LOT of heavy lifting toward a freer, more pluralistic education system and is widely seen as one of the country's leaders on tax-credit scholarships and diverse K-12 options.

We now have enough federal guidance on the new Federal Education Tax Credit to act. The remaining questions are narrow and technical, and the full regulations expected in September will not leave much runway.

If Pennsylvania opts in, advocates estimate nearly $2 billion in new scholarship dollars could flow to students over the first three years, on top of existing state funding.

Saying yes would not cut the state's K-12 budget. It would tap into a new federal tool that lets taxpayers fund scholarships for Pennsylvania kids, rather than those dollars supporting students in other states.

🤞Fingers crossed, PA. Keep up the great work.

As the narrative that school choice harms public schools dies, the Federal Education Tax Credit could not have come at a better time.

The credit adds a new source of funding to all kinds of schools; public school kids will likely be the largest group of beneficiaries.

Opting in is a no-brainer, no matter where on the political spectrum decision-makers sit.

Blue states that have indicated participation or strong interest so far include Colorado and New York, and as more leaders understand what the credit actually does, other states are starting to rethink old talking points.

This is a separate federal credit that does not draw dollars away from state K-12 budgets.

It will add resources around public schools by funding scholarships for the students who attend them, especially in communities where the district is stretched thin.

And all taxpayers who owe any amount of federal income tax can participate.

For more information, check out the resource in the comments...

A friend told me recently what it was like to grow up in an area that struggled with K-12 education quality.

It was a paper-mill town with one realistic school option and very few alternatives.

His mom refused to accept that this was the ceiling for her child's education. She organized other parents and started a PTA from the ground up. She tried to fix that school with all the limited tools and resources at her disposal.

She was intent on improving what was on offer, inch by inch, whether it wanted to be or not.

That kind of local commitment can be found all over the country. District schools, public education, neighbors, parents, educators, and community leaders have built incredible civic infrastructure for the kids in their area.

Soon, they will have a powerful new tool to work with: a Federal Education Tax Credit that allows everyday taxpayers to fund K-12 scholarships in their own communities or in places they care about.

Marrying the right person didn't change my life; it made entrepreneurship possible.

I think every working parent, especially founders, feels this.

It's not about being able to grind 24/7. It's about being able to say yes when the right opportunity shows up-- even when it means catching a last-minute flight on a Sunday or staying an extra day on a trip because a hard-to-get meeting becomes available.

Those moments only work because I know, without hesitation, that our girls are at home being loved, supported, and cared for in a way that gives me complete peace of mind and the ability to focus on building LearningSpring.com.

That's not something I take for granted. It's everything.

For me, building a business and raising a family hasn't been about choosing one over the other.

It's been about having a partner who makes both possible.

Happy Father's Day to our guy, who also has the perfect arm length for selfies.

One of my favorite things in the world: hard-earned discomfort.

This picture was taken after a long, messy stretch: overnight flight from Paris to DC, straight into a treasury talk with education leaders on making school choice tools work in the real world, then back to Paris to meet my husband and kids at Disneyland (BEST. DAY).

(The sleep-and-shower situation was... not ideal. Sometimes the only option for the hair is to buy a goofy hat and sunglasses.)

That slap-a-patch-on-it-and-go vibe is something I see in parents all the time. They juggle work, kids, flights, meetings, time zones, homework, sports, and still show up to advocate for their children.

Parents: your stamina and tolerance for discomfort are superpowers.

And emblematic of the school choice moment. We aren't waiting for perfect conditions - we're pushing, NOW, for more clarity, flexibility, and control over our children's learning.

To all the parents who are tired, under-caffeinated, hiding greasy hair under a hat, and still fighting for better options for their kids: I see you, and I feel you.

We're building this thing together.

Education pluralism just makes sense, just like having choices does in other parts of life.

Wherever a system touches different places and people, room for choice is necessary.

Even in something as simple and fun as a nail appointment, take three different girls and get three totally different designs.

Three unique pieces of self-expression within the same constraints.

Just like those three designs use the same basic tools to create totally different looks, three kids can use the same Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) scholarships to attend three very different schools that all meet shared academic standards.

That is what education pluralism does: it funds a mix of school types while still expecting every child to get a solid education.

Education pluralism is the only practical way to enable varied people to achieve common objectives.

We live in a terrific country full of parents committed to improving education.

The parent groups I participate in are FULL of people determined to give their children the best education, and I'm only seeing a fraction of the enthusiasm out there.

They volunteer, organize, fundraise, compare options, seek tutors, form homeschool groups, and support schools, churches, and nonprofits that assist children.

The Federal Education Tax Credit provides an incredible new funding pathway for that local insight.

Taxpayers can support Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) that award scholarships to local students.

Parents can form SGOs dedicated to supporting local schools or particular school models.

District public schools, charter schools, faith-based and secular private schools, homeschool communities, microschools, hybrid programs, tutoring providers, and therapy providers can all participate. State law and definitions will decide the final participation status of some models, such as homeschools and microschools.

Local parents, community members, churches, schools, and nonprofits who are closest to the education systems their communities cultivate will be at the center of this.

The Federal Education Tax Credit can transform their commitment into organized scholarship support, giving communities the practical resources to act.

As school choice policies explode nationally, North Carolina is leading in an awesome way.

Over 100,000 NC students now use state-funded private school scholarships through the Opportunity Scholarship program, and thousands of students with disabilities benefit from ESA+ accounts that help pay for tuition and specialized educational services.

Lawmakers have steadily widened eligibility so that Opportunity Scholarships are now open to all K–12 students, with awards ranging from roughly $3,500 to nearly $8,000 per year based on family income.

ESA+ also offers higher per-student funding and broad allowable uses for students with disabilities.

Recently, the Legislature opted the state into the Federal Education Tax Credit via House Bill 87. That decision opens the door for North Carolina to channel even more support to scholarship organizations serving local North Carolina students.

Parents will be able to direct a portion of what they owe toward kids in their own communities or toward broader supports such as tutoring, after-school learning, and tuition assistance.

The energy coming out of this state right now is incredible. North Carolina is proving just how ambitious a modern school choice state can be.

30 states have opted in to the Federal Education Tax Credit.
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Several remaining states have signaled intent to opt in once federal guidelines are finalized.

Treasury has indicated final guidance will likely not arrive until September, but the remaining questions are narrow and technical. Governors now have enough information to make a decision.
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Opting in, as Governor Jared Polis put it, is a no‑brainer. If your state does not participate, those federal tax credit dollars flow elsewhere.
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Real implementation and coordination challenges remain for states, SGOs, and schools. To have enough time to address these challenges before the 2027 launch, states considering the tax credit should opt in sooner rather than later.
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LearningSpring is being built to serve as a technology partner for states, SGOs, and schools that want to make this program work smoothly for families!

Woohoo!

http://learningspring.com/