Betsy DeVos’s Voucher Boondoggle

When the Trump administration released its education budget last week, the most attention went to the deep cuts it would make in school funding and to a slew of federal K-12 programs. But the plan’s most important feature — one that would get $5 billion in new funds and could have far-reaching political consequences — is its support for school vouchers.

Even as the education budget calls for cutting about 8 percent of last year’s $66.6 billion allocation, the administration is increasing resources for school vouchers. A longtime priority of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, this shift would undercut both public and charter schools. Indeed, the Federal Charter Schools Program is among the programs set to be cut. The plan would give states block grants to give them discretion over how to spend a smaller pot of federal education funding.