Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to rally support for private school vouchers in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Jay-Z is investing in an effort to finance private school voucher in Philadelphia.

The entertainment mogul’s Roc Nation announced it is funding a campaign this month to drum up support for the Pennsylvania Prize for Student Achievement, a state legislative proposal to spend taxpayer money on private school scholarships for low-income families. income in neighborhoods with low-performing schools.

“We’ve enjoyed such a special connection with Philadelphians, so we’ve made it our mission to invest in the long-term success of the city’s changemakers,” said Dania Diaz, managing director of philanthropy at Roc Nation, in a press release last week.

Jay-Z has developed close ties to Philadelphia through Roc Nation’s annual Made In America festival and involvement in the REFORM Alliance, which advocates for criminal justice reform.

Vouchers are controversial in many states – including Pennsylvaniawhere Republicans promote them as a way to help students escape low-performing schools, and teachers unions, school boards and many Democrats oppose sending taxpayer money to private and religious schools.

Jay-Z’s support for the voucher project sparked pushback online. The AFT Pennsylvania Teachers Union said on social platform: “That’s not it,” over a photo of Jay-Z and Jeffrey Yass, a billionaire who is the biggest donor to Republican campaigns in Pennsylvania. Yass’ main issue in the state is school choice.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, supported a Republican-backed proposal last year to send $100 million to families to pay for tuition and supplies at private schools. Shapiro later recoiled in the face of Democratic opposition in the House.