There’s a bad tax credit/voucher-type bill being heard in the Senate Tax Committee on Wednesday. If you’d like to submit testimony, you still can do so by 9:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. We have learned that the committee assistant will make the required 20 hard copies. You can designate your testimony as written only or can request to testify orally. Email it as a PDF to the committe assistant at Assessment.Taxation@senate.ks.gov. At the top of your testimony state the bill number (SB 509), that you’re in opposition to the bill, whether it is oral or written-only testimony, and your name. If you testify in person, you’re prohibited from reading your testimony, but should summarize it.
Here’s more information on the bill from our friends. SB 509 provides a refundable tax credit to taxpayers for each child NOT attending public school who attends an accredited or non-accredited private school or home school.
The school finance formula for funding our public schools includes a BASE aid per student of approximately $5100. SB 509 provides a tax credit of 75% of the BASE aid for kids at an accredited school ($3825 or $11,475 for 3 kids) and 50% of the BASE for those at a non-accredited school ($2550 or $7,650 for 3 kids), annually.
This bill reduces the state revenues needed to fund public goods like our public schools, roads, infrastructure, state parks, etc. At a time when we are having trouble getting the legislature to fully fund special education, we should not be reducing our state revenues by essentially paying families for making the personal choice to forgo a public education.
Many of these Kansans will receive a refund for that choice and pay nothing in income tax towards any of the public goods the rest of us pay for. This credit is available to anyone currently sending their kids to a private school or who is homeschooling their children, even those who can easily afford that choice.
The concern with these tax credit vouchers (aka talking points for testimony)
Pubic tax dollars belong with public schools:
Public tax dollars should remain with our public schools that accept and educate all children and that are accountable to taxpayers.
Education Tax Credits divert funds that could otherwise be used to improve public education to subsidize the private choices of some parents thus having the same negative impact as a voucher program.
This bill takes money that could be used to strengthen our public schools that serve all kids and gives it to families who have made a private choice to receive a religious or other non-public education, many who can easily afford that choice.
Instead of providing tax credits to Kansans choosing not to send their kids to public school, the legislature should be using those tax dollars to fully fund special education that is currently significantly underfunded.
Not available to everyone:
We should not be reducing state revenues by providing tax credits to be used at private schools that can pick and choose which children they want to serve.
Families with children with special needs, disabilities, or those for whom English is not their first language will not benefit from these tax credits as few private schools can accommodate their needs.
Private schools can choose to admit only the best and brightest students, leaving other children behind. Vouchers like this tax credit program do not provide real choice.
Vouchers are welfare for the wealthy:
The wealthy who are already sending their kids to private school will benefit the most from these tax credits.
Public schools are a public good:
Public schools are a public service and paid for by everyone, regardless of whether they use them or not. Just as we would not give a tax rebate to people who buy books instead of using a public library or who own private vacation homes instead of camping in national parks, the government should not refund private school tuition to parents who choose not to send their children to public schools.
A strong public education system provides benefits to the entire society, not just the individual students. The potential consequences of diverting public tax dollars to those who choose to homeschool or send their kids to private school undermines the state’s ability to fund our public schools, potentially leaving an underfunded public school system.
For many, especially those with multiple kids, they will receive annual refunds and will contribute nothing towards the public goods in our state that all Kansans benefit from.
No oversight or accountability:
Our tax dollars are going to private and homeschools that lack oversight, leaving the public uninformed as to whether or not our tax dollars are really being spent to improve the lives of children.
There are no controls in place to ensure those receiving these tax credits are providing the children with a quality education or any education at all. There is no accountability for how our tax dollars are being used.
Impact on rural areas:
Rural students (and communities) are harmed as public school resources are drained and students in rural areas lack little to no private options.
These tax credits will primarily benefit those in urban areas of our state. Rural taxpayers will end up subsidizing private school tuition for families in metro areas such as Johnson County.
See link to full bill here: https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb509_00_0000.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3B91WAhTjwCVt8w354pw997z7qSbk4mLn0AbpPLEOm_SpqoxoU5l1be8M
Originally published on Facebook on March 4th, 2024.