White Responds to Democrats’ Attacks on School Choice

June 29, 2026

HARRISBURG – Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) today issued the following statement in response to a Philadelphia Inquirer article detailing House Democrats’ alleged willingness to engage on school choice after advancing legislation that would cut the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) scholarship program, the most successful school choice program in the Commonwealth.

“This article confirms what many of us in Harrisburg have known for years: House Democrat Leader Matt Bradford is singlehandedly preventing meaningful school choice legislation from reaching the governor’s desk.

“For years, he has had the votes to help hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania students access the educational setting that best meets their needs, yet refuses to act.

“The most indefensible part of all of this is that, earlier this month, the House overwhelmingly passed a new, taxpayer-funded scholarship program to help students attend the college of their choice. It would serve families making up to $250,000 per year. Yet, those same lawmakers refuse to extend that same opportunity to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

“If we believe scholarships expand educational opportunity, then they expand opportunity regardless of whether a student is in college or in third grade. The hypocrisy is impossible to ignore, and it certainly isn’t lost on the children and families who will lose access to scholarships because of last week’s vote.

“House Democrats claim they want to help low-income families, but those families already qualify under the current program. Their proposal intentionally cuts working-class families out. Working families who no longer qualify under these reduced income limits (but make nowhere near enough to afford private school tuition on their own) are simply told they don’t matter. At the same time, they are expected to continue paying record-high property taxes to support a multi-billion-dollar education system that is failing them, while their own children cannot access the scholarship programs their tax dollars support.

“One of the greatest challenges facing our country today is the hollowing out of the middle class. Democrat proposals like House Bill 2636 crush the middle class even further. We should be expanding opportunity for hardworking families, not narrowing it. Pennsylvania's school choice programs have always been about giving parents more options, not fewer. It's time to stop limiting opportunity and start putting students and families first.”

Representative Martina White
170th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Fitch
717.260.6563
jfitch@pahousegop.com
www.RepWhite.com / www.facebook.com/RepMartinaWhite