New York Teachers Unions Protest Hochul's 30th-State Scholarship Plan as Opt-In Fight Intensifies
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 15
New York Teachers Unions Protest Hochul's 30th-State Scholarship Plan as Opt-In Fight Intensifies
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 15
Summary
Wednesday protests at United Federation of Teachers headquarters will target Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to enroll New York in a federal tax-credit scholarship program starting in 2027.
30 states would participate once New York opts in, with Hochul’s office saying the program could help students and schools while it reviews federal details for any “poison pills.”
Union groups including UFT, NYSUT and AFT argue the plan would steer tax dollars to private education, citing Florida’s unaccounted $270 million in voucher funds and Arizona’s $1.4 billion budget hole.
Teach Coalition CEO Sydney Altfield rejected that criticism, saying the program is a tax credit rather than a voucher and does not draw from state public-school operating budgets.
The clash highlights a broader Democratic split over school choice, even as some governors such as Colorado’s Jared Polis have begun embracing the federal model.