Yesterday, the GOP legislature in Alabama rushed through legislation for tax credits without letting anyone outside their caucus debate or review the bill. This is what you need to know about tax credits and who really benefits. StudentsFirst rushed to applaud this program to benefit the few at the expense of the many, proving that Michelle Rhee deserved her title as a (rightwing) Radical.
Valerie Strauss reviews the various tuition tax credit programs, which are spreading as a form of school choice.
Unfortunately, in some of these states, the tax credits go to wealthy corporations and individuals and in some cases, subsidize private school tuition for families that can afford to pay for it without public help.
And more:
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there were 14 tuition tax credit programs in 11 states as of last fall, and there are now bills in some legislatures to expand to other states, such as in Mississippi. Virginia passed one last year, and a tax credit program in Georgia that “won” an award for being exceedingly wasteful may be expanded.
In some places they are structured to get around state constitutional prohibitions against using public dollars for religious schools. And in many instances, the schools that qualify to accept vouchers aren’t regulated and teach things we know aren’t true, such the creationist notion that humans co-existed with dinosaurs. Many also are not required to administer standardized tests that public schools are required to give for accountability purposes. And in Georgia, as this New York Times story reported, a popular tax credit program is allowing the use of public money to be used for tuition at more than 100 private schools that refuse to enroll gay, lesbian or bisexual students.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We agree that this is a bad idea.
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Many on the right believe that the charter school movement has created unfair competition — with private schools. They believe (like many on this blog do) that charter schools are essentially private schools operating with the unfair advantage of a federal subsidy, and they point to evidence that a substantial number of charter school students previously attended private schools. Yesterday, I posted an excerpt from the Philadelphia School District’s annual financial report that approximately 30% of Philly charter students were coming from private schools, not Philly public schools.
See the following, from the Cato Institute: http://www.cato.org/doc-download/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/PA707.pdf
The solution proposed by the Cato Institute? Education tax credits.
http://www.cato.org/blog/charter-school-paradox
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Excuse me, I meant to say a “government subsidy,” not a “federal subsidy.”
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Many on the right believe that the charter school movement has created unfair competition — with private schools. They believe (like many on this blog do) that charter schools are essentially private schools operating with the unfair advantage of a government subsidy, and they point to evidence that a substantial number of charter school students previously attended private schools. Yesterday, I posted an excerpt from the Philadelphia School District’s annual financial report that approximately 30% of Philly charter students were coming from private schools, not Philly public schools.
See the following, from the Cato Institute:
The solution proposed by the Cato Institute? Education tax credits
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When St. Paul, Minnesota established the K-12 public “open” school in fall, 1971, some of the students who attended came from private schools. When Minnesota established the opportunity for students to attend public schools in districts other than the one where they lived, some of the students who used this law came from private schools. Encouraging more public school options helps increase the number of advocates for public education.
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“Encouraging more public school options helps increase the number of advocates for public education.”
Interestingly, I think that’s one of the threats to private schools that the Cato papers listed.
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Good point. Public charter schools seem like a different animal than school vouchers for private schooling, or home schooling, or unschooling. When I went to junior high and high scool, there were accelerated classes. I was a beneficiary of public school options. I say, the more public options the better, like trade schools, montesorri schools, military style ecucation, whatever people want, as long as there is fiscal accountability.
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I think tax credits are a fair idea. I know many middle class parents who pay fairly high taxes, but can’t get the $8,000 or so together to pay private school tuition. They are paying taxes and those taxes are used to pay tuition through vouchers for poor public school children. These middle class people are subsidizing so called poor people’s children. Many of these poor people choose to live in this way on the dole from the gov.
Why should hard working parents, many both working, have to subsidize the often lazy and irresponsible parents with vouchers for their children to private schools. Middle class and rich people for the most part don’t get that way by inheriting money and being lazy. They work hard as h….Top 25% of wage earners as of IRS statistics pay 87.30% of all personal income taxes. Bottom 50% of wage earners pay 2.25% of personal income taxes. Source National Taxpayer’s Union and IRS figures 2009. Google it. Sounds like this is more than so called “wealthy people’s” fair share. Our government punishes people who work hard, get a good education, and succeed and make a contribution to society, It coddles people who do nothing.
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Strauss definately hit a nerve with ed reformers with this article. Education Next and Jay P Greene are falling all over themselves to dispute her article. Unfortunately their facts are, a little weak.
http://educationnext.org/yes-valerie-school-choice-does-help-poor-kids/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EducationNext+%28Education+Next%29
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Schulzey, what exactly about those facts are “weak”?
Valerie Strauss asked Kevin Welner to come to her defense, but he essentially confirmed that she was WRONG on all her main critiques. In fact, scholarship tax credit programs DO help low-income families and donors do NOT benefit. I address Welner’s arguments here:
http://educationnext.org/rejoinder-to-washington-posts-primer-on-private-school-tax-credits/
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They make some really good points. For example, giving tax credits that rich people might use (because they pay more taxes) is not “welfare for the rich” — they’re out the same amount of money either way. If rich people are paying for a program that supports poor people’s educational choices, that is not “welfare for the rich” by any stretch of the imagination.
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