Catholic students form mile-long human chain urging Newsom to opt into federal scholarship program

More than 1,100 Catholic students from St. Genevieve Parish Schools in Panorama City, California, formed a one-mile human chain May 13 to urge Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to enroll the state in the new Federal Tax Credit Scholarship (FTCS) Program. 

According to a press release the school emailed to Zeale News, students from preschool through 12th grade participated in a hand-to-hand relay from their campus to the Panorama City Post Office, where they mailed 15,000 purple postcards calling on Newsom to opt California into the program.

The first postcard was passed from the school’s youngest participant to its oldest senior before being officially mailed. Students, staff, and others participating wore matching purple T-shirts that read: “Governor Newsom: Say YES to the FTCS.”

The federal scholarship program was created under President Donald Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027. It offers taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar, nonrefundable credit of up to $1,700 for donations to qualified scholarship-granting organizations. 

Those organizations would then award scholarships to help families cover eligible education expenses, including private school tuition, educational materials, and other approved K-12 costs. States must opt in for students in those states to receive scholarships through the program. 

Twenty-nine states have formally opted in, according to Ballotpedia. Twenty-three of those participating are Republican trifecta states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

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