"Opportunity Scholarship Act"; establishes pilot program in Department of Treasury providing tax credits to taxpayers contributing to scholarships for low-income children.

The Opportunity Scholarship Act (S 1027) creates a pilot program allowing New Jersey taxpayers to receive state tax credits for donating to nonprofit scholarship organizations. These donations fund scholarships for low-income children (from households earning ≤2.5x the federal poverty level) attending "chronically failing" public schools - defined as schools where 40%+ of students scored below expectations in both math and language arts for two consecutive years. Scholarships cover tuition at eligible public or nonpublic schools (that accept scholarship students without discrimination and meet state standards), with amounts capped at the per-pupil expenditure of the failing school. The program is currently pending in the Senate Education Committee and will be assessed over a pilot period.