Sixteen governors, including JB Pritzker in Illinois, still haven’t said whether they’ll opt in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program.

By Matthew Stone and Arianna ProtheroEducation Week, Bethesda, Md.(TNS)

Oct. 14 — Democratic governors have mostly been in wait-and-see mode this year as the start of the first national school choice program approaches—and little has changed since the Trump administration released its proposed rules for the program two weeks ago.

Sixteen governors—15 Democrats and one Republican—and the mayor of the District of Columbia have yet to announce whether they’ll opt in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, according to Education Week’s tracking of governors’ decisions. That number hasn’t changed since May.

Through the program, which launches Jan. 1, taxpayers can claim dollar-for-dollar federal credits of up to $1,700 (and $3,400 for married couples) for donations to groups that award K-12 scholarships to cover private school tuition and public school student expenses such as tutoring and after-school programs. Governors have to opt in for students in their state to be eligible for the awards, though taxpayers from anywhere can make donations and claim the credit.

To date, 31 states have confirmed they’re participating while three governors have said no.

Among the 16 governors who haven’t announced their intentions, some said earlier this year they would await rules from the Internal Revenue Service spelling out how the program operates before deciding.

Now that those rules are out, there’s still little movement.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week confirmed her state would participate, though she had said in May she intended to opt in as long as the rules contained no “poison pills.” The decision makes Hochul the second Democratic governor, after Jared Polis of Colorado, to opt in.

(Four other states led by Democrats are also participating, but that’s because Republican lawmakers in Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina overrode their governors’ vetoes on participating and because the former Republican governor of Virginia opted in before a Democrat took his place in January.)