SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors urged Gov. Bob Ferguson in a November 2, 2026, letter to keep Washington out of a federal tax credit scholarship program, saying it would steer public support toward private education without the same accountability.
The board said the program created under Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code worked like a voucher system even if it used a different funding method. Board members argued that public resources would end up backing private education choices while public schools still carried the responsibility to serve all students.
The letter said Spokane Public Schools understood why extra help for students could sound attractive, especially for tutoring, enrichment, mental health services and individualized support. But the board said scholarships for private services would not necessarily strengthen public school classrooms, staffing or daily programs.
The board also raised concerns about state oversight. It explained that Washington would have to review and certify scholarship-granting organizations while facing limits on how much it could shape the program. The letter said the state could not confine the program t...