In an op-ed, Steven Velardo—a father and president of Foundations in Education—urges Gov. Ned Lamont to opt Connecticut into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, framing it as a simple choice: whether $1,700 of a taxpayer’s federal liability goes to the IRS general fund or toward Connecticut students. He explains the mechanics (a dollar-for-dollar federal credit for donations to approved nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations) and pushes back on the assumption that it benefits only private-school students, noting the funds can also cover tutoring, special-needs services, test prep, books, technology, and other K-12 expenses for public school students. Drawing on his organization’s decade of donor-funded scholarships (more than $29 million across Fairfield County), he argues the credit democratizes giving so ordinary parents, grandparents, and small-business owners—not just major philanthropists—can invest directly in a child.
Velardo cites a Democrats for Education Reform estimate that Connecticut has roughly 640,000 taxpayers with enough liability to use the full credit, translating to nearly $11 million at 1% participation, more than $163 million at 15%, and about $326 million at 30%. He notes the program takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, that 30 states have opted in (including Colorado) and that New York’s Hochul supports it, and stresses there’s no new state tax or appropriation involved. His central argument: opting in is only the first step—it creates the opportunity but not a single scholarship—so if Lamont says yes, the responsibility shifts to Connecticut residents to actually redirect their dollars behind students.