The facts
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed on to President Donald Trump's school choice program, the Education Freedom Tax Credit, despite significant opposition from teachers unions. The program, established by proposed regulations from the Department of the Treasury and IRS on October 1, allows individual taxpayers to receive a federal tax credit for donations to non-profit scholarship organizations. For residents and local educational organizations to participate, state governors must formally opt in. Hochul stated her decision was guided by the desire for every child to have a great education and the best chance to succeed, emphasizing that the program would bring millions of additional dollars to New York students and families without diverting funds from public schools. She assured that her commitment to public education remains unchanged and that she is working with business leaders to support public school students. However, a coalition of teachers unions and public school advocates launched a petition urging Hochul to reject the program, arguing that tax dollars would fund private tuition for students not using public schools. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has been a vocal opponent. The program's implementation comes as some major urban school districts face challenges in student retention post-pandemic. Department of Education Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey Burke noted that "competitive pressure" is encouraging more states to join the initiative, with over half of U.S. states already participating. Sydney Altfield, CEO of Teach Coalition, expressed optimism, stating the program will provide scholarships for tutoring, after-school programs, and other educational needs.
Our take
Kathy Hochul has officially become the nation's most expensive fucking hall monitor for a billionaire's vanity project. She signed onto Trump's 'Education Freedom' scam - a program where rich assholes get a tax break for pretending to care about poor kids - and wants a medal for not immediately setting a public school on fire. Her statement is a masterclass in having your cake and eating the shit inside it: 'every child deserves a great education' and 'my commitment is unchanged.' Right. And a bank robber's commitment to the vault door is unchanged, except for the part where he uses dynamite.
The mechanics of this grift are so transparent a child could see through them, which is presumably why Hochul needs to send them to private tutoring. A taxpayer gets a federal credit for donating to a 'non-profit scholarship' slush fund. The state governor has to formally opt in, which is the political equivalent of licking a toilet seat to prove your loyalty. Hochul didn't just opt in; she dove in headfirst, shouting about the 'millions of additional dollars' this will bring. Those 'additional dollars' are the same federal tax dollars that would have gone into the general fund, you mendacious prick. Diverting them to private tuition via a rich person's deduction is the definition of diverting funds, you absolute, word-salad-spewing cunt.
Her pathetic cover story is that she's 'working with business leaders' to support public school students. Translated from politician bullshit: she's letting corporate donors write the policy so they can get a tax break, and she'll throw a few leftover pennies at a public school library to shut the unions up. Speaking of which, the teachers unions are circulating a petition against this, which is like handing a fire extinguisher to an arsonist and hoping for the best. Randi Weingarten must be watching this circus with the horrified fascination of someone seeing their own governor voluntarily shit in her own hat.
The Department of Education flack says 'competitive pressure' is driving states to join. That's the pressure of watching other cowardly fucks cave and deciding you need to be a bigger coward to keep up. The CEO of the 'Teach Coalition' is optimistic, because his entire job is to be a lubricant for this fiscal fuckery. Hochul's performance isn't just weak; it's a diagnostic test for spinal absence. She saw a program designed to bankrupt public education, smelled Trump on it, and decided her legacy would be applying the lipstick. What a colossal, education-hating asshole.
