I support the Betty L. Thompson Scholarship Tax Credit Bill (HB 639) and testified on behalf of the bill to the House Urban Affairs Committee because it gives students attending unaccredited schools the opportunity to receive a quality education at a reduced cost to parents.
In our region, the St. Louis Public Schools, Wellston and Normandy School Districts are among the unaccredited learning institutions that have historically failed our children. With no offense being made to the current administrations, these schools are suffering from inadequate facilities, inconsistent teaching curriculums and depressed atmospheres. Let it be known that I am a supporter of both the public schools as well as a parents’ right to choose a quality education for their children.
Opponents of this bill believe that it will take funds away from the public schools. I would venture to say that money isn’t the only problem with many of these school districts. To date, St. Louis Public Schools has a $491 million budget and yet still have not found a way to adequately balance its budget and receive accreditation. After much rioting, arrests and forced resignations, SLPS officials are still trying to find their way towards success.
In the meantime, over 37,000 students are suffering the consequences. I am sure that I am sharing the sentiment of many parents who have been in anguish over the events that take place everyday in unaccredited school districts.
Despite the comments that you will hear from many with vested interests in giving all available funds to the public schools without holding them accountable for performance, HB 639 will help public schools by forcing them to become competitive. It will reduce from enrollment some of the students who have had behavioral and academic problems in public schools. It will also ensure that more funds will be made available for the remaining public school students because they will keep the federal, local and approximately 20 percent of the state government funds. Additionally, public schools may receive grants, and public school students may receive financial assistance for tutoring, transportation and afternoon programs.
I believe that this bill can even contribute to the growth of the city of St. Louis because future residents will not be forced to choose between sending their kids to inadequate schools and spending a fortune on private school. In effect, the public schools, parents and even the region will have much to gain in giving students a chance to receive a good education.
I also like this program because it specifically targets those income-eligible students who have the greatest needs. These include but are not limited to: children of inmates who have a five times greater likelihood of following in their incarcerated parents footsteps; children from foster care families who often lack a stable and structured environment; students in low-performing schools and those struggling with a 1.9 GPA or lower; students with disabilities; and students with behavioral or disciplinary problems. If these kids cannot perform well in public schools or have their needs met, why not allow their parents to think about alternatives?
This tax credit program is also structured to achieve a positive impact for the state. For every dollar loss in revenue to the state, there is a corresponding greater decrease in expense to the state, resulting in net savings. Much of the savings can be directed to needs such as tutoring, after-school programs, transportation, second-chance programs for dropouts and supplements to tuition payments for voluntary desegregation.
I also like the fact that funds utilized by scholarship recipients under this program consist only of private, voluntary, non-governmental funds with donors receiving a state tax credit instead of a tax reduction. Finally, this program is not a voucher program and it is not a violation of the Blaine Amendment.
As I have previously said, I mean no disrespect to the current administrations of unaccredited schools who are working hard to put their organizations on course towards viability. However, I can not condone placing our current students’ futures on layaway while the public schools work to correct their problems. In the African-American community, especially, we need to make sure that we do our best to ensure that every minority student is given the best opportunities available to become a role model to our society and succeed.