Don't be distracted: The failure of state legislators to pass a budget last month had nothing to do with a proposed scholarship tax credit program (regarding the editorial "Budget Distractions," May 5).
Neither the House nor the Senate versions of the final budget included a scholarship tax credit proposal. In fact, the scholarship tax credit proposal was removed by the Senate prior to the final vote of the budget. How can an 11th-hour meltdown be caused by a proposal that wasn't even included in the final budget and that was removed prior to the final vote?
The answer is that it wasn't. It is all smoke and mirrors designed to distract readers from the real reasons why the budget failed to pass. That's unfortunate because if the budget did include a scholarship tax credit, then it would have been much easier for the state to balance its budget.
Research done by David Stuitt from Vanderbilt University and co- sponsored by the Indiana Catholic Conference, the Indiana Non- Public Education Association and School Choice Indiana found that the state would realize substantial savings from the proposed scholarship tax credit program for low- and middle-income children. In fact, according to the research, at an average scholarship of $1,500 and below, the state would realize a net savings of between $300,000 and $4.7 million in the first year alone.
That's real money that could be immediately plowed back into public schools and that could ensure that the state doesn't go into deficit after all the federal stimulus money is spent in two years. Also, by arguing for no limits on charter school expansion, The Journal Gazette recognized that federal stimulus money was at risk. By this same logic, given the savings generated by proposed tax credit program, The Journal Gazette should also support school choice.
Scholarship tax credits should be part of the budget for two other important reasons.
First, parents want more school choice. In state after state, including Indiana, parents want the freedom to choose schools that work best for their children, regardless of whether those schools are public, charter or private. The tax credit scholarship proposal - which would allow individuals and corporations to claim a 50 percent tax credit for charitable gifts made to qualifying non-profit organizations that distribute scholarships to needy children - would have given parents more schooling options, not less. It is sad that The Journal Gazette doesn't support options for parents, particularly parents who by virtue of their income and address are trapped in schools that don't work for their children.
Second, the research overwhelmingly supports school choice. Almost every single study of school choice programs around the country finds that children who receive a scholarship do better on math and reading. There is no study that finds school choice hurts student performance.
The same is true of public school performance. In 16 out of 17 national studies, the competition created by school choice helps public schools get better.
In the end, we should not allow ourselves to be distracted or sidetracked. The Indiana budget process was not derailed by a scholarship tax credit proposal that wasn't even in the budget. And, if it were included, then it would have been easier for the state to balance its budget and easier for parents to get an education that works best for their child. That is a proposal we should all support.