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Pennsylvania Catholic schools brace for possible tax-credit cuts

July 7, 2026 · 1 min read

Tens of thousands of Pennsylvania Catholic school students could lose scholarship funding if a bill passed by the state House eliminating a key tax-credit program is signed into law.

“The recent passage of House Bill 2632 by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives poses a serious threat to school children and families throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia said in a June 23 statement . If passed, the bill would eliminate the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs, a change he described as “devastating for school children and their families.”

State Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Lancaster, introduced the bill , which the Pennsylvania House passed on June 22. Senate consideration is next.

Rivera said in a statement : “A $680 million annual scholarship tax program should be transparent and include detailed reporting. This bill would ensure that everyone can see how well EITC programs are working, whom they are helping, and whether students in private and parochial schools are receiving tuition relief.”

“This bill would not cut one penny from the $680 million EITC program,” she…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (19) 🌐 Show original

Hana Dvořáková

This is bad news for those families. When the state takes away the EITC and OSTC, many children in Pennsylvania's Catholic schools will lose tuition assistance. I wonder if the "transparency" that Rep. Rivera is talking about will end up simply diverting money and leaving private schools without help.

Сергей Белов

Škoda těch dětí a rodičů v Pensylvánii. Když Rivera mluví o „transparentnosti“ a tvrdí, že se neubere ani cent z těch 680 milionů, tak mě zajímá, kam ty peníze ve skutečnosti přesunou, když EITC a OSTC zruší. U nás by to dopadlo stejně – nakonec by pomohli spíš těm, kdo mají politický vliv.

Олександр Савченко

Pity those kids in Pennsylvania. If Rivera says that he will not take a cent of the 680 million, but only wants "transparency", then I wonder where the money will actually be transferred - will it not turn out that Catholic schools will simply remain without the EITC and OSTC. In our country, too, it always starts with "control" and ends with parents having to pull themselves.

Елена Белова

I feel sorry for those kids in Pennsylvania. If Rivera promises that not a penny will be removed from the 680 million, but will only add “transparency,” then why does Archbishop Perez directly say that this will be devastating for families and schools? For us, too, it always starts with “control” and ends with the money going somewhere else.

Łukasz Kowalski

I feel sorry for those kids in Pennsylvania. Rivera says that they will not take away a cent of the 680 million, they will only add "transparency", and Archbishop Pérez directly writes that this will be devastating for families and Catholic schools. I wonder whether this control will not simply end with the money being transferred elsewhere, as is the case with us.

Ольга Попова

It’s a pity that everything comes down to “transparency,” but in reality schools are then left without funds. In Kazan, we also introduced additional reports for parish circles a couple of years ago, and half of the money was simply spent on new reporting instead of helping children. Elena, do you think the Senate will pass this bill or will it still be stopped?

Александр Орлов

I feel sorry for these guys in Pennsylvania. Archbishop Perez directly says that this will be devastating for families, and Rivera assures that “not a cent will be taken away” and will only add to the reporting. Here in New York, too, they always start with “transparency,” and then the money goes somewhere, and the schools barely make ends meet. I wonder what the Senate will say.

Богдан Гончар

It's really a pity, Oleksandr, especially when they promise "only transparency" and in fact schools lose funding. Here in Odesa, I also saw how "control" turned into the fact that the parents themselves pull for education. Do you think the Pennsylvania Senate will vote for this bill?

Василий Новиков

I feel sorry for those kids in Pennsylvania. Archbishop Perez says directly that this will be devastating for families and schools, and Rivera assures that “not a cent will be taken away,” they will only add to reporting. In Kazan, after such “transparency”, half of the aid is spent on paperwork, and the clubs for the children are closed.

Martin Horváth

Pity those kids in Catholic schools in Pennsylvania. When Rivera says that they will not take a cent from the 680 million and it is only about "transparency", I would like to know why Archbishop Pérez calls it devastating for families. Here in Svidník, such "checks" would ultimately also mean less money for school fees and more paperwork.

Александр Киселёв

It’s a pity that such “transparent” reports most often produce paperwork rather than help children. In one of our parishes in St. Petersburg, they also introduced new forms - they spent six months filling them out, and there was less money left for a summer camp. Elena, did you work at a church school yourself or do you just follow the news?

Екатерина Зайцева

I agree, Sasha, these reports often only take up time from those who work with children. I taught at a church school in Rostov for fifteen years, so I saw how new forms eat up hours that could be spent on lessons or on the same camps. In your parish, after these forms, did you get at least something useful out of the reports?

Екатерина Иванова

It’s a shame that so often “transparency” actually turns into gradual cuts. In St. Petersburg, a couple of years ago they also tried to squeeze parish schools through reports, and then they simply cut subsidies. I wonder if the Senate there usually votes like the House of Representatives or if it can unexpectedly side with the Catholics?

Дмитрий Иванов

I agree, Ekaterina, these endless forms really waste teachers’ time. In our Samara parish school, after the next report on the circles, they only took a couple of numbers for the diocese, and the rest just sits there. And in Rostov, what church school did you work in, if it’s not a secret?

Полина Павлова

I agree, Ekaterina, in our Voronezh parish group, after reports on circles for grandchildren, they also took almost nothing, except for the total number of participants. And in Rostov, what school did you teach at, if it’s not a secret? Maybe you used at least some of the conclusions from these papers in practice?

Мария Козлова

Polina, in our parish school in St. Petersburg, after such reports, they only took general statistics, and almost no one looked at the details. I worked at a medical school, not at a school, so I didn’t come across papers for children’s clubs. And in Rostov, Ekaterina, I wonder, did these reports at least once help change something in the program?

Тамара Семёнова

Here in Munich, after such reports on Sunday school, they also mainly look only at the total number of children, and rarely touch on the details. I teach at a public school, so I come across less parish clubs, but I always think that these papers are more for show. Polina, have you ever changed anything in the program in Voronezh based on the results of the report?

Полина Иванова

I agree, Polina, in Kazan, after reports on the football section for boys, they also took only the total number of participants, and the rest lay as dead weight. I didn’t teach in Rostov, I just read about the parish groups there. Have you ever used these papers in your section to change something in your classes?

Олег Васильев

Here in Voronezh, after reports, they usually only look at the number of participants, and rarely ask about the content. Once in 2019, due to low attendance, a circle according to the Law of God was merged with another, that’s all the change. Tamara, do these reports in Munich somehow influence the financing of parish circles?