In a letter to the National Governors Association, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has called on the governors of every state to opt into the new federal school choice provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“School choice isn’t just about education—it’s about freedom, opportunity, and allowing parents to choose what’s best for their kids, regardless of their financial situation,” Scott said.
The new federal school choice provision would allow Americans in participating states to get a tax credit for donating to an educational scholarship program. Individuals in participating states can lower their tax liability by donating as much as $1,700.
Scott outlined how the provision takes “nothing from state coffers,” and is designed to allow states that opt in to the program to “set their own requirements for scholarship-granting organizations, meaning programs can target funding scholarships for poor, working-class, and underserved communities.”
In his letter, the Florida legislator detailed how he grew up not knowing his birth father and with parents who had not graduated high school, and the importance of education in giving him a path out of those less-than-ideal circumstances. Scott would rise to become a lawyer and health care executive. He would eventually serve as governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019 before assuming his current role as a U.S. senator. Scott additionally chairs the Special Committee on Aging in the Senate.
Scott discussed in the letter how he was proud to make school choice a priority during his time as governor of Florida.
“When we expanded school choice options in Florida, suspensions and absences in neighborhood schools went down, and test scores went up,” Scott noted in the letter.
Scott also emphasized how school choice prevents a child’s opportunity to achieve the American Dream from being squandered by helping children get out of failing schools that they would otherwise have to attend based on their ZIP code. The tax benefit puts parents in charge of their children’s education, not bureaucrats, according to the Florida senator.
“School choice wasn’t just for the elites—it was for everyone, because every family deserves the chance to send their child to the school that best meets their needs,” the Florida senator wrote.
Scott concluded his letter by challenging the governors to stand up to the teachers’ unions and other administrators.
“I look forward to seeing which governors have the courage to stand up to teachers’ unions and bureaucrats and fight for families like mine by taking advantage of this program,” the former Florida governor said.