I serve as executive director for the Lutheran Schools of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in our Northwest District, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. I’m also a resident of Washington. I was disappointed by the misrepresentations and spin about nonpublic schools shared by Chris Reykdal, Washington’s superintendent of public instruction, in his “Statement on the Reckless School Privatization Tax Credit Passed by Congress” (Aug. 18).
As an individual who has served within the Lutheran Christian school system for over 35 years, and who has partnered over the years with public school officials and many leaders of nonpublic schools in multiple states, I assure you Reykdal’s statement was riddled with falsehoods and inferences about nonpublic schools in Washington.
But I’m not writing to poke holes in that statement’s many inaccuracies. Rather, my desire is that the people of Washington will look past Reykdal’s rhetoric to understand the greater issue. His statement was grandstanding against the Educational Choice for Children Act, which you might notice he never named, instead venting against this “tax credit.”
What he seems to not want you to realize is that this federal tax credit is now law, and all the ranting in the world by Washington politicians isn’t going to change that. Every Washington taxpayer will have the right, effective Jan. 1, 2027, to divert $1,700 of their federal tax obligation to a scholarship-granting organization of their choice.
These organizations will then grant scholarships to qualifying families for use in a variety of ways, including tuition at nonpublic schools. These scholarship funds may also be used by students/families who attend public school, used for a variety of educational expenses not fully covered by public schools such as tutoring, musical instruments, athletic expenses and more.
The most important thing for every Washington taxpayer to realize is that the only decision Washington has is whether or not our own families/students will benefit from the Educational Choice for Children Act. Gov. Bob Ferguson needs to “opt in” for our state. If he does so, regulated scholarship-granting organizations will be created in Washington to facilitate the tax credit funds into scholarships for Washington students.
If our governor does not opt in, we all still have the $1,700 tax credit that we may direct to a scholarship-granting organization. We merely won’t be able to direct it to a scholarship-granting organization in Washington. Failing to opt in does not stop this program; it only stops our own children and families from benefitting, without helping our state in any way.
Under this new law, Washington families may divert $1,700 of their tax obligation to a scholarship-granting organization, rather than seeing the federal government do whatever they want with the money. I’d rather see those tax credits stay in Washington, benefitting Washington families, than go to help children and families in other states. That’s what this all really comes down to.
We need Ferguson to set aside disagreement with current policies of the federal government and have Washington opt in to the act. This will not divert any Washington state money away from public schools. It will allow Washington citizens to keep more of our money home, benefiting our own people.
Whether you are a supporter of nonpublic schools or not, it only makes sense to see this tax credit divert federal tax dollars to stay in Washington.
To learn more about the Educational Choice for Children Act, I recommend you read the act for yourself. For a more straightforward explanation, I recommend ChildrensTuitionFund.org.
Jim Scriven, Sept. 2025