Kentucky is one of the few American states with no mechanism for giving l0w-income families a wider array of school choices, but that could change in 2016. The state legislature is considering three important school choice proposals, and at least one of them - scholarship tax credits - has a great chance to move Kentucky in the right direction on this important social justice issue.
I've written extensively on this blog about why I support school choice. My 20 years in education have taught me that no school, no matter how good, can meet the unique needs of every child. All families deserve a chance to choose a school that best matches their child's needs. Affluent families already have that opportunity because they can buy homes in the school zones of their preference, or pay tuition for non-government schools. But low-income families usually have no such options. Taxpayers support other public goods like food security, health care, and higher education while still respecting families' choice of service provider. There's no reason we shouldn't offer the same kind of opportunities when it comes to K-12 education. Recent polling data indicate that Kentuckians across the political and demographic spectrum agree.
Three bills have been filed in the 2016 Kentucky General Assembly that would expand educational options.
Charter Schools. Senate Bill 253 and House Bill 589, sponsored by Senator Mike Wilson (R-Bowling Green) and Representative Brad Montell (R-Shelbyville) respectively, create a pilot program that would allow charter schools in the Jefferson County (Louisville) and Fayette County (Lexington) school systems, two districts that have chronically struggled with large achievement gaps. A charter school is a public school that is operated by an independent school management organization rather than a school district. Charter schools are afforded a high level of autonomy in designing students' learning experiences, but are held a higher level of accountability in that a persistently poor-performing charter school can be closed. Research indicates that charter schools perform especially well with students of color and students from low-income families when they stay in a charter school for multiple years.
Individual Education Accounts. House Bill 620, sponsored by Representatives Addia Wuchner (R-Florence) and Brad Montell, sets up a special type of educational savings account (ESA) that allows special education students to attend non-government schools. Ninety percent of a student's state per-pupil educational spending allotment (known by the acronym SEEK) would follow special needs students to the school of their family's choice. HB 620 closely resembles a similar ESA law that benefits special education students in Tennessee. As I've written elsewhere, individual education accounts are a win-win for everyone. Families get to choose the best school for their child, while the local school district keeps all of the local and federal education allotment (and in the case of HB 620, five percent of the student's SEEK allotment) but doesn't have to spend a penny to educate the child.
Public charter schools and individual education accounts are worthy of support and I encourage readers to contact their legislators and urge them to vote for both bills. But the Democrat-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives has long opposed any school choice measures and, unless something changes substantially in the March 8 special elections for open House seats, I'm not optimistic about their fate in the 2016 session.
Scholarship tax credits. House Bill 336 and its Senate version, SB 44, are different from other school choice proposals and have the best chance of expanding educational options in 2016. These bills would encourage private donations to scholarship programs that help low- and middle-income families send their children to non-government schools. Rather than the typical charitable deduction that would normally apply to such donations, HB 336/SB 44 sets up a tax credit worth 90 percent of the donation amount that comes off the donor's tax liability (but is not refundable if the amount exceeds the donor's total tax bill).
HB 336 applies the same tax credit to donations to non-profit entities that support public schools. In this way, the bill offers something for everyone. It supports students in both public and non-public schools and offers cost savings to public school districts without transferring public tax dollars from one to the other. Sponsored by Senator Ralph Alvarado (R-Winchester) in the Senate, the House version has strong bi-partisan support. Democrat Tommy Thompson of Owensboro is the primary sponsor, along with five other Democrats and a number of Republicans.
Despite the House's long-standing opposition to school choice, scholarship tax credits enjoy widespread support. The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the bill, along with a coalition of over 40 Kentucky business leaders called the Smarter Future Council.
However, it's imperative to urge all members of the General Assembly to move these bills out of committee and to a full floor vote. Please contact your legislators by calling the legislative hotline at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message asking them to support and co-sponsor HB 336 (in the House) and SB 44 (in the Senate).
Visit EdChoice Kentucky for more information about scholarship tax credits. Kentucky families deserve a full menu of school choice policy options. Let's set aside all partisan differences and at least encourage private donations that benefit students from low-income families to attend the school of their choice.
Note: My perspectives are deeply informed by my 20 years career in education and my current work supporting Kentucky schools, but when I endorse specific legislation my views are those of a private citizen, and are not necessarily shared by anyone affiliated with my employer.