Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that New York State would sign on to President Trump’s tax-credit program, which was designed to benefit both public and private school parents but has divided Democrats.
The decision by Ms. Hochul makes New York among only a few states led by Democratic governors to join the education scholarship plan, which functions like a state voucher program and was part of Mr. Trump’s signature domestic policy law last year. Starting next year, individuals can donate up to $1,700 to scholarship-granting nonprofits and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit in exchange.
Ms. Hochul had signaled her support several months ago for the plan, drawing intense pushback from teachers’ unions and state legislative leaders who said it would undermine public education and favor private schools. The program does not reduce existing public school funding.
“I’ve been clear from the start that New York would participate in the federal scholarship tax credit program if, and only if, all schools and students, including those in our public schools, could benefit,” Ms. Hochul said in a statement. “I’m not going to leave money on the table when it could help our kids.”
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, the union representing New York City teachers, called Ms. Hochul’s move a failure of leadership. The U.F.T. led a rally last month with about a dozen groups, including the N.A.A.C.P., urging the governor to opt out.
“Gov. Hochul will bear the responsibility, but our students, educators, and families will bear the price,” Mr. Mulgrew said in a statement.
State Senator John Liu, a Queens Democrat who is chairman of the Senate New York City Education Committee, called the decision by Ms. Hochul a “Faustian bargain with President Trump.”
“This deal jeopardizes that firm footing by opening the door to a slippery slope where we risk diverting funding away from public education,” Mr. Liu said in a statement.
The school-choice program, known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit, has found some bipartisan support despite its association with the president. One other Democratic governor, Jared Polis of Colorado, chose to participate, while Republican-controlled legislatures in Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina have overridden vetoes by Democratic governors.
Ms. Hochul, who is running for re-election in November, had been criticized by her opponent, Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, for not opting into the program earlier this year. Ms. Hochul said on Friday that she had waited to make her decision until after the U.S. Treasury Department issued its rules on the law.
Starting in January, families who earn up to 300 percent of their area’s median income — more than $400,000 in New York City for some families — will be eligible, including those whose children already attend private schools. Taxpayers can donate up to $1,700 each to a nonprofit organization that will redistribute the money in the form of scholarships to pay for tuition, books, test preparation and supplemental special-education services.
Jorge Elorza, the chief executive of Democrats for Education Reform, said that it was a “no-brainer” for governors to take advantage of the program, calling attention to its benefits for public schools. Mr. Elorza said he had personally urged almost every governor, including Ms. Hochul, to join the program.
Mr. Elorza said it stood to reason that with the great majority of children attending public schools in New York State, their families would most likely donate money to groups that support them.
“If you opt in, you can capture as much as possible so New York State children can benefit,” Mr. Elorza said. “This is a very significant moment.”
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