Topeka — A bill that would have provided tax credits for those who contributed to scholarships to send students to private schools was rejected by the House on Monday.
State Rep. Clay Aurand, R-Belleville, and chairman of the House Education Committee, said his bill would give parents an option if their child was not adapting well in public school. The student could take advantage of a scholarship and go to a private or parochial school, he said.
"Parents should have options for what is best for their children," Aurand said.
He was backed by legislators who were critical of public schools.
State Rep. Mike Kiegerl, R-Olathe, said public schools were beset with over-paid administrators who wanted to have a monopoly education system.
Kiegerl said his grandchildren attend private schools that have small class sizes and offer advanced programs. "Why should a single black mother in Wyandotte County not have the same opportunity to send her child to the school my grandchildren go to?," he said.
But opponents of the bill, which failed on a 55-66 vote after a lengthy debate, said many poor people would have been unable to benefit from the program. The bill was targeted to 18 school districts with large numbers of low-income students. Lawrence was not one of the districts.
Private schools wouldn't be required to accept all students, and the scholarships, which would average about $4,000, would not be enough to pay the full tuition at many private schools, critics added.
State Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, tried to eliminate the bill and replace it with one that would raise public school funding by $150 million over two years to restore a portion of the cuts made to schools in recent years.
"I have a scholarship program for every child that enters public schools. I'm going to call it state aid," Ward said. His amendment failed.
Other opponents said giving tax credits would drain tax revenue to the state general fund that goes to public schools.
State Rep. Bob Brookens, R-Marion, said the measure was in conflict with the duty of the Legislature concerning public education. "Is it our duty to use tax dollars and tax policy to send Kansas money to private schools? Kansas was built on and Kansas will live or die on its public education," Brookens said.
State Rep. Bill Otto, R-LeRoy, said he feared that "schools that may not agree with your values or my values," could benefit from the proposal.
Comments
Blue_Stem 1 year, 1 month ago
Kansas has a system of small schools so that people can send their children to them. BUT thanks to the legislature, those school are all closing so kids have to travel many miles to go to a large school. For them to say kids should go to smaller schools is hypocritical. They are defunding schools so kids can't go to smaller schools. Those schools always hit the AYP and NCLB number.s
JayhawkFan1985 1 year, 1 month ago
I resent the hostile attitude some legislators have toward government, including schools, and government employees, including teachers and administrators. The GOP's true colors are shining through. We need a major change in Kansas in the governors office and in the legislature. The democratic party should extend a formal invitation to the few remaining moderate GOP legislators.
kochmoney 1 year, 1 month ago
We need elected officials that want to make government work better, not ones convinced that it can't and on a mission to prove themselves right.
kansanjayhawk 1 year, 1 month ago
I disagree with you! Republicans support all education avenues but they realize that the parents delegating their personal responsibility to educate their children to the public schools and if the schools are failing that the parents have other options. Many of us are tired of these schools where God and religion are kicked out and immorality and socialism are included. The first public schools in America were established to teach children how to read the Bible! We need to get back to the cornerstone of liberty and away from this modern liberal agenda that is destroying this nation!
chocolateplease 1 year, 1 month ago
Isn't there already a tax benefit for people sending their kids to Catholic schools in Kansas? I wish I knew the details of that.
jhawkinsf 1 year, 1 month ago
There is no specific tax benefit that I'm aware of. In fact, parents who choose to send their children to private schools pay taxes to support public schools and then pay tuition to the private school, with no tax deduction.
Katara 1 year, 1 month ago
Well, it really isn't a legal tax benefit but I was told by someone whose child attended Catholic school that the trick was to make the payment to the Church so it looked like tithing and then you could claim it under charitable deductions.
Mind you, this is just what I was told. I have no idea if people really do that or not.
Eride 1 year, 1 month ago
That is called tax fraud.
The individual who told you that (hopefully it isn't you), better hope they don't get audited because something that blatant will easily get caught in an audit and the penalties that result might ruin them.
Katara 1 year, 1 month ago
Oh, its not me.
I had mentioned to them that I wasn't sure that what they said is common to do was really legitimate but the response was basically that lots of people do it.
It seems to me it would be pretty easy to catch it under an audit as there would be payments that just happen to be at each semester beginning & the amount would just happen to be the same as the tuition.
Eride 1 year, 1 month ago
To be able to claim the deduction you have to be able to substantiate it; substantiation for an amount that large requires a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution from the church. The church has to state on this written acknowledgement whether the contribution was in exchange for anything of value. Basically, if what your acquaintance claims is actually occurring, the church would have to be participating in the fraud. That makes me skeptical because, by participating in such a scheme, the church would be risking its exempt status and exposing itself to harsh penalties.
The fact that a "lot" of people do it should make your acquaintance even more wary, not less so, because it raises the likelihood that everyone gets caught if just one individual (or the church) gets caught or fesses up.
vertigo 1 year, 1 month ago
Yeah, no one ever starts out at not poor and then becomes poor.
That's unheard of!
Jane 1 year, 1 month ago
The 'poor people' were brought up in this session by Mike Keigerl, R-Olathe, so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. I also have to wonder if Mr Keigerl would want poor black kids from a single parent home in Wyandotte County attending the private school with his grandchildren. I don't know, I could be wrong about Mike. If he is concerned about the kids in WY CO, then he could just agree to fund public schools.
The donors to scholarship funds are the ones who want the tax credit, so it would be a 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' kind of deal.
Now what Bob Brookens, R-Marion, said is commendable and more like the old Republican Party.
deec 1 year, 1 month ago
Maybe the poor people had children because they couldn't afford birth control or had no access to abortion. This is the same attitude exhibited by the eugenicists of the early 20th century. Are you agreeing with Henry Ford, Teddy Roosevelt et. al. that poor people ought not to be allowed to have children?
coloradoan 1 year, 1 month ago
I thought you supported the American dream FHNC - you know, the part about improving your life. Start out poor and try to build your life. In other words, maybe they had faith in the dream, and worked to make a better life for themselves and their children, not wanting to wait until they were fifty to have kids. Then next thing they know their job got outsourced to India or China, and so much for that dream.
Anyway, sorry you are inconvenienced by the reality that there are poor in this country. But the educational system that our generation, and those before us, so richly benefitted from is the same ticket out of poverty for the current poor demographic. We need to make it work for them, because then it works for all of us. Private schools do not a society make.
acornwebworks 1 year, 1 month ago
Were you sick that day in biology class? Sorry to hear it.
srj 1 year, 1 month ago
While public schools are in decline due to budget cuts and other issues, especially in inner cities, this was a way to fund religious schools, and the moderates figured that out. Considering we only have 33 Democratic congressman, at least 33 republicans voted against the bill.
kansanjayhawk 1 year, 1 month ago
Giving a tax credit to parents who are presently being double taxed is not unconstituional. In fact, it may be good public policy if it helps to improve our public schools!
question4u 1 year, 1 month ago
"State Rep. Mike Kiegerl, R-Olathe, said public schools were beset with over-paid administrators who wanted to have a monopoly education system."
It would be helpful to have a direct quote, since it seems doubtful that anyone would actually say something that stupid. On the other hand, we're talking about the Kansas House, so...
Paul R. Getto 1 year, 1 month ago
Good move; drive a stake through its heart and bury this sucker.
kochmoney 1 year, 1 month ago
It was ALEC model legislation, and it was essentially a tax break for the super wealthy at the expense of anyone who wanted to attend school. Glad they killed it.
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