Trump's State of the Union school choice scholarship would be paid by Betsy DeVos. One Philadelphia girl would benefit.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will personally fund a school choice scholarship President Donald Trump offered to a Philadelphia girl during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, a surprise award he suggested would allow the girl to leave her low-performing public school and attend a different school.
A DeVos spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday the secretary would provide the money directly to Janiyah Davis, a fourth grade student, and her mother, Stephanie, who were invited to the speech Tuesday night in Washington.
But on Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Janiyah already attends one of the city’s most sought-after charter schools, and that her mother didn’t view it as a school a parent would want to leave.
According to the Inquirer, Janiyah attended a public kindergarten, then a private Christian school that charged tuition, then transferred to the popular charter school, which is a public school. Stephanie Davis said she wasn’t sure if her daughter would change schools again, the story said.
During his address, Trump said Davis has been on a waiting list for Pennsylvania's opportunity scholarship program, a program that gives businesses a tax break for donations that help pay for qualifying children to attend a different school, including private schools.
"I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it’s going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice," Trump said to the girl.
But the scholarship didn't become available via normal channels.
DeVos would have to pay for the girl's tuition directly if she wants to attend a private school again, in part because state law in Pennsylvania caps how much donors can contribute to the opportunity scholarship fund.
When USA TODAY contacted Pennsylvania's Department of Education Wednesday, officials weren't even aware of what Trump had done during his address on Tuesday.
The school choice scholarship wait list in Pennsylvania is long. Between the two educational tax credit programs in that state, there are about 40,000 to 50,000 more applicants than available scholarships, said Michael Torres, spokesman for the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank that supports school choice.
DeVos spokeswoman Liz Hill did not respond to follow-up questions about how long DeVos planned to fund the girl's educational expenses. The secretary, whose husband is the former CEO of multilevel marketing company Amway, donates her entire federal salary each year to charity.
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Trump's action Tuesday only added to the controversy around school choice, an overarching term that applies to nontraditional schools that get public money, such as charter schools run by nonunionized teachers and private, religious schools that may receive taxpayer money in some states.
Proponents, including DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence, believe students should be able to use taxpayer money to pursue whatever kind of education they desire, from religious schools to homeschooling.
DeVos and Trump have advocated for a $5 billion federal school voucher program, which Trump also championed in his State of the Union address. But the program is widely believed to be dead on arrival in a Democrat-controlled House. Some conservatives oppose it also.
Opponents of private-school choice, including teachers unions and most Democrats, believe the programs siphon off money and students from traditional districts, leaving fewer resources in public schools to serve the most challenged students.
Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump school choice, Betsy DeVos: State of the Union fact check
