Bala Cynwyd resident Jeff Yass is Pennsylvania’s richest person, contributes to Republican campaigns, and is a champion of school choice, reports Robert Huber for Philadelphia Magazine.

Yass’s rise to billionaire-hood is as storied as it is cryptic. The investment mogul does not like to give interviews or speak about himself, but his career is often studied as myth. He started out in Las Vegas, trying to game the system with friends.

And while poker wasn’t his game, he made a small fortune learning how to win at the race track. He took his winnings to the stock market and the rest is history. His investment firm, Susquehanna International Group has made him billions.

Yass has also taken a stake in politics. His interests align with other men of his stature: big business and low taxes. His contributions to mainstream republican nominees like Texas Governor Greg Abbott has drawn the ire of left-leaning mainstream media.

What doesn’t align with the traditional billionaire is his stance on school choice. Yass is strongly in favor of it and he thinks that the political winds are blowing in that direction. 

“There is no possible way a govern­ment monopoly could be a better approach to schools than market competition, particularly­ for poor children. It’s a civil rights issue,” he said.

Yass would like to see the money spent on children’s education to be split with half go toward the student’s school of their choice, and the other half to be grown in an account until the student was 18 and a high school grad at which point they can use the money on college or building a life as an adult.

Read more about Jeff Yass’ in-depth plans for the public school system at Philadelphia Magazine.

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