SC School Choice Effort Gains Convert

Columbia, SC -- The issue of school choice and the state giving parents tax credits if they send their children to private schools is back at the Statehouse. But this year, supporters think they have a much better chance of getting it passed, after failing for the last five years.

For one thing, former school choice opponent Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, is now a supporter. "When I started looking at it, when I started going to other states with these gentlemen and learning what other blacks are doing across the country to improve education, then I know that, even though Republicans might have some bad ideas, on this idea they're right on time," Sen. Ford told reporters at a Statehouse news conference Tuesday afternoon.

The news conference was to announce the introduction of the 2009 Education Opportunity Act. It would provide parents with tax credits, and low-income families with scholarships.

The other reason supporters think they have a better chance this year is that there will be so many new lawmakers voting. Nearly 20 percent of the Senate is new this year, and nearly 21 percent of the House.

If the bill passes, public school students who transfer to another public school would be eligible to receive either a scholarship or a tax credit. To qualify for a scholarship, the student’s family’s household income would have to be 200% or less of the federal poverty level.

For tax credits, a special needs student would receive a credit equal to 100% of the average state per-student spending for that local school district or the actual amount of tuition paid, whichever is less.

For students in failing schools, their families would get 75% of the average per-student spending for that local district or the actual amount of tuition, whichever is less.

All other students attending a public or private school would get a credit of 50% of the average state per-student spending for that local district or the actual amount of tuition, whichever is less.

Home-schooled students would get a tax credit of up to $1,000 for instruction-related expenses.

Rep. Tracy Edge, R-N. Myrtle Beach, is co-sponsoring the bill in the House. He says the tax credits will average $2,400 for a student in a public or private school, $3,600 for a student in a failing school and $4,800 for a special needs student. Scholarships will be available, through Student Scholarship Organizations, for low-income families who don’t make enough to benefit from the tax credits, he says.

"This is going to help people in the rural areas and the poor areas that need other options that don't have other options, because the system is trapping them. We want to give them the option to find something better," he says.

But while supporters are hopeful of their chances this year, opponents have been successful in the past and have the benefit this year of schools already dealing with massive budget cuts. Sheila Gallagher, president of the South Carolina Education Association, says, "We're about to pink-slip a whole bunch of public school teachers. That is not going to help our investment, which are our public schools.”

Laurie Pineda has the perspective of a mother whose 11-year-old son has been in public school, private school and is now home-schooled. She thinks the bill will help her son Harrison, who has severe dyslexia, and all students, even those in public schools.

"Right now, the children that are in public schools aren't receiving any money for my child that's not there, because we're out anyway. If this new bill passed, they would still be getting my local and the federal money that's allocated for my child in a public school. So they would have more money to spread out for the children that are there," she says.

But even if the bill did take money from public schools, Sen. Ford would support it. "I don't have no regrets of taking money out of a public school. The money is not for that school. The money is to educate little Johnny," he says.