On March 29, 2022, the PA House Education Committee approved HB 2169, which has been termed as a tuition scholarship program that uses public funds  to provide private school alternatives for students enrolled in the state’s lowest-performing public school districts. The vote was 14-10, with all but one Republican opposing the bill along with all Democrats.

The bill, which is also in the Senate Education Committee as SB 1050, will now move forward for consideration before the full PA House. Known as the Lifeline Scholarship program, if passed the bill would allow an enrollee to be eligible to use their share of state funding for use at a private school. The proposed bill defines an eligible student as a child who has not yet received a high-school diploma, currently resides in the attendance areas of a low-achieving school (the bottom 15% of public schools as measured by performance on standardized testing); and one of the following: attending a public in PA in the preceding school year; received funds from the program in the preceding school year; will attend first grade for the first time in the next school year; a child in foster care; a child whose adoption decree is not more than one year prior to submission of an application, OR a child of full-time active duty military personnel.

Federal funding and school district tax monies would not be available for use.

On March 28, 2022,  PAPSA joined a state coalition effort to oppose HB 2169. According to the coalition, with an assumption of 10 percent of students using the voucher and calculating estimates for regular education students, special education students (all three tiers) and gifted students, it is estimated that the cost of the program to be $170 million to the 85 school districts identified.