Teachers union says sky is falling
Missouri SB 962, the Missouri Student Success Scholarship Tax Credit Program provides that
any taxpayer who makes contributions to a nonprofit scholarship granting organization may claim a credit against the tax otherwise due … in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the amount the taxpayer contributed during the tax year for which the credit is claimed
The bill limits the total amount of tax credit available to $40 million per year. The scholarships at issue in the legislation are
grants to students to cover all or part of the tuition and fees at either a qualified non-public school or a qualified public school, or other approved educational expenses, including supplemental services including private tutors and books or transportation to a public school outside of a student’s resident school district.
Needless to say, any time money goes to private schools, even indirectly via tax credits for private donations to private organizations offering scholarships for use at such schools, the usual coalition of organizations used to suckling at the public education teat gets up in arms. This time they’re particularly hyperbolic.
“This is the beginning of the end of public education as we know it,” said Jo Wanda Bozeman, the president of the Parkway Education Association.”These vouchers are designed to create two separate school systems in this country, not based on race but one for the well-to-do and one for the lower and middle classes.”
The program doesn’t exactly create vouchers - it encourages donations to private “scholarship granting organizations” through tax credits. Missouri law already provides 45 different tax credits for qualified taxpayers. This just adds another one. Given that taxpayers can get a credit for participation in public schools’ sponsorship and mentoring programs, why not offer a credit for contributions to scholarship funds to allow students to attend schools where such programs are less necessary?
The specific complaints of the Parkway teachers union representative are, of course, misplaced. To begin with, it’s a little odd coming from Parkway, whose students would not be eligible in the first place and whose public schools are actually decent. Putting that aside, it’s clear that this bill is not the beginning of the end of public schools. Recipients of scholarships can use them to attend other public schools, after all, and public schools that perform adequately would likely retain their students even if private school scholarships are available.
The idea that this bill creates a class-based two-tier educational system is particularly absurd. Rich residents of St. Louis and Kansas City already have the opportunity to put their kids in private schools. The scholarships are only available to students from families whose total annual income does not exceed an amount equal to 185% of the income standard used to qualify for a free or reduced price lunch under the national Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. For school year 2006-07, the income guideline for a family of four is $37,000. Not exactly well-to-do.
The teachers unions need to spend more time improving how they teach and less time freaking out that the free flow of cash might be restricted.
