Agudath Israel of Colorado convened nearly one hundred members of the Colorado Jewish community at the State Capitol for a School Choice Awareness Day, held in conjunction with National School Choice Week. Students, parents, school leaders, and families representing four Jewish schools participated in a full day of education, advocacy, and civic engagement focused on expanding educational opportunity for Colorado families.

The day began with a private lunch for participants and state legislators at the State Services Building. Community members received an overview of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, along with educational materials prepared by Agudath Israel detailing the tax credit and its potential impact on school choice in Colorado. Legislators, including Senator Lisa Frizell, Representative Cecelia Espenoza, Representative Sean Camacho, Senator Mark Baisley, and staff from the offices of Senator Dafna Michaelson‑Jenet who was instrumental in making this visit possible, and Senator Roberts, and others, spoke with students and parents about educational opportunity in Colorado. The exchange provided students and parents with a valuable opportunity to engage directly with policymakers and underscore the importance of educational freedom.

Following the lunch, participants joined the School Choice Rally on the West Steps of the Capitol. Agudath Israel partnered with the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network (CPAN), the rally’s organizer, to ensure strong Jewish representation among the many schools and families advocating for school choice from across the state.

Governor Jared Polis addressed the rally where he spoke about Colorado opting in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). Starting in 2027, the FSTC allows individual taxpayers to contribute to a nonprofit scholarship granting organization (SGO) and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit worth up to $1700. The SGO then pools the funds and distributes scholarships to eligible students for a wide range of K-12 educational expenses including private school tuition However, in order for SGOs to be approved, the state in which they are located must opt in to the tax credit and include them on a list sent to Treasury.

The day concluded with a guided tour of the State Capitol, offering students and families a firsthand look at Colorado’s legislative process. Throughout the day, from the legislative lunch to the rally and Capitol tour, the community advocated through its presence, expressing the importance of school choice while gaining a deeper appreciation of how civic engagement works and how meaningful community participation can be. Their visible presence around the Capitol ensured that the priorities of the Jewish community were recognized in the halls of power.