AFT and NEA Call on Democratic Governors to Reject Trump Private School Voucher Scheme

WASHINGTON—In an open letter sent today to the nation's Democratic governors, the presidents of the country’s two largest teachers unions, the National Education Association and the AFT, urged Democratic governors to reject the Trump administration's private school voucher program, calling it a grave and urgent threat to the public schools that serve nearly 90 percent of the nation's K–12 students. 

"Public education is a core value of our communities and the foundation of a thriving democracy," AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle wrote in the letter. "Every child deserves access to a high-quality education in well-supported public schools."

"The program is a Trojan horse carrying near-universal K–12 private school vouchers into every state that participates—even states where voters have rejected vouchers at the ballot box," Pringle and Weingarten wrote. 

The letter comes on the heels of another letter sent earlier this month by three dozen education unions in 23 Democratic-led states, urging their governors not to opt into the scheme.

The latest letter also warns that states choosing to opt into the voucher program do so at the expense of students. They also will likely face long-term fiscal strain as vouchers “shrink” public school enrollment, reducing per-pupil state revenue while fixed-costs remain. The scheme will force state budgets to cover the funding gaps. The unions warn of a potential $50 billion annual price tag for the program nationally, which could lead to further cuts to federal programs for the most vulnerable students, such as those supported by Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

The letter notes the voucher program is a core element of Project 2025 and points to the 2024 Democratic National Committee platform, which explicitly opposed "private-school vouchers, tuition tax credits, opportunity scholarships, and other schemes that divert taxpayer-funded resources away from public education." 

“The underlying strength of America rests on the provision of education to all as a public good. We shouldn’t gamble our future on promises made by an administration relentlessly dedicated to undermining that public good. Rejecting the Trump administration’s voucher program helps to preserve and protect the future of public education for our students, families, and communities,” wrote Weingarten and Pringle.