
Audio By Carbonatix
Jay-Z is putting his weight behind an effort to fund private school vouchers in Philadelphia.
The entertainment mogul’s Roc Nation announced it is funding a campaign this month to drum up support for the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success, a statewide legislative proposal to spend taxpayer money on private school scholarships for low-income families in neighborhoods with low-achieving schools.
“We have 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,” Roc Nation Managing Director of Philanthropy Dania Diaz said in a news 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 a lot of states — including Pennsylvania, where Republicans promote them as a way to help students escape underperforming schools, and teachers unions, school boards and many Democrats oppose sending taxpayer money to private and religious schools.
Jay-Z’s support of the voucher bill drew pushback online. The AFT Pennsylvania teachers union said on the social platform X: “This ain’t it,” over a photo of Jay-Z and Jeffrey Yass, a billionaire who is the biggest donor to Republican campaigns in Pennsylvania. Yass’s top issue in the state is school choice.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, supported a Republican-backed proposal last year to send $100 million to families for private school tuition and school supplies. Shapiro later backed down in the face of House Democratic opposition.
Latest Stories
-
Flood-hit Ghana Digital Centres says staff not dismissed, contracts only temporarily suspended
14 minutes -
No severe rainfall expected today, but showers likely over weekend – GMet
17 minutes -
Today’s front pages: Thursday, July 2, 2026
36 minutes -
Finance Ministry credits GH¢350m to flood relief and mitigation accounts
41 minutes -
GMTF advances rollout of Medicines List to improve access to specialised treatment
1 hour -
Mahama rallies traditional leaders for Free Primary Healthcare policy
1 hour -
We are losing huge capital, amidst debts and hypertension – Takoradi market traders lament
1 hour -
Fair Wages Commission pledges 90% reduction in strikes
1 hour -
Be emboldened by virtues of murdered judges to dispense justice fairly – Moderator
2 hours -
‘Prioritise flood control funding’ – Haruna Iddrisu urges Parliament
2 hours -
Shippers decry container evacuation delays at Tema Port
2 hours -
GES trains fourth cohort of district teacher support team on early childhood education
2 hours -
‘The slopes are too steep’ – Urban planner warns unsafe buildings are still being approved
2 hours -
Hantavirus outbreak nearing its end, WHO chief says
3 hours -
‘Big Men’ are taking over protected lands – Urban Planner blames political influence
3 hours