Josh Shapiro Keeps Betraying Poor Pennsylvania Children

Wall Street Journal

07-04-2025

Hazleton, Pa.
Immanuel Christian School is in dire straits, but not for lack of students who want to go there. Demand is high for the K-12 school's limited number of seats, reflecting the sorry state of nearby public schools. Yet in this predominantly low-income and nonwhite eastern Pennsylvania community, many families struggle to afford tuition, and the school nearly shut down permanently in December. Not long ago, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro promised to pass a scholarship program to help students in struggling communities afford schools like Immanuel. Now the governor seems willing to abandon these students and this school to run for president.
While campaigning in 2022, Mr. Shapiro promised to pass Lifeline Scholarships. The scholarships would give low-income children in failing public schools between $5,000 and $10,000 to pay for safe and high-quality private schools. In these failing public schools, only 10% of students are proficient in math, and only 33% are proficient in English. In Hazleton, six of the seven public schools are failing academically, with the last one not far behind.
But Mr. Shapiro still hasn't signed Lifeline Scholarships into law. While the Republican-controlled state Senate is on board, the leaders of the narrowly held Democratic majority in the House have balked. As the leader of their party and the state's chief executive, Mr. Shapiro could use his bully pulpit to pressure his fellow Democrats. Instead, he has caved at the first sign of disagreement. Despite continuing to mention the scholarships, including calling them 'unfinished business' in 2024, the governor hasn't lifted a finger to keep the promise that helped sweep him into the state's highest office.
Mr. Shapiro seems determined to keep children trapped in failing public schools. In his 2025 budget address on Feb. 4, Mr. Shapiro focused exclusively on adding $824 million to the $16.8 billion that Pennsylvania already spends on public education. He touted giving money to the 'schools that need it most' while ignoring the students who need help the most.
Pennsylvania public schools have made no measurable improvement since 2003 to close achievement gaps of more than 25 points for black and Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged students, or English Language Learners.
Mr. Shapiro has ignored Lifeline Scholarships and doubled down on more funding for failing public schools for an obvious reason. He doesn't want to upset his biggest donors. In 2022, the country's biggest public-sector unions gave Mr. Shapiro's campaign $4.5 million, more than the combined total for the next three top recipients nationwide. The union investment in Mr. Shapiro has already paid dividends. In 2023 the governor negotiated a contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that gave double-digit pay raises for state workers.
Mr. Shapiro also learned not to bite the hand that feeds him. During his first state budget negotiations, he was set to sign Lifeline Scholarships into law. But union opposition quickly mobilized a small but loud pressure campaign, rebuking Mr. Shapiro for his 'irresponsible' support for the program. The governor caved and vetoed his own campaign promise. Unions also actively lobbied against Mr. Shapiro when he was in contention to be Kamala Harris's running mate last year, potentially sinking his chances. The message was clear: If Mr. Shapiro wants a future in national Democratic politics, he must toe the teacher union party line.
Mr. Shapiro is widely believed to have such a future in mind, based on his political maneuvering and media support. Yet while he's surely looking to the national stage, local communities like Hazleton are falling behind, even though they represent what once was the Democrats' base. The city's median household income is $43,379—43% less than the statewide median. Two-thirds of the community is nonwhite—a demographic increasingly embracing educational choice. Polling shows that 86% of Hispanic voters and 92% of black voters in Pennsylvania support Lifeline Scholarships.
Immanuel Christian School is one of the few private options in a district where only 22% of high-school students are proficient in math and 50% are proficient in English. The school is only open today because Republican Rep. Dan Meuser—who may challenge Mr. Shapiro in 2026—secured emergency pandemic funding in December. Similar stories are playing out across the state, where higher-quality educational alternatives are closing or at risk of closing because students in economically depressed areas can't afford tuition.
Mr. Shapiro needs to keep his promise to families in Hazleton and across Pennsylvania. Abandoning Lifeline Scholarships may win him votes in a Democratic presidential primary, where teacher unions hold immense sway. But the governor will surely struggle to explain to the rest of America why he ignored low-income students for his political self-interest.
Ms. Langan is senior education policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation.