Alert: Voucher bill & voting rights — public comment (testimony) needed ASAP
A Testimony Template is included; Vouchers undermine public schools that educate all children by diverting public tax dollars to private schools.
Voucher bill — Public Comment (aka Testimony) needed
The first voucher bill of the 2024 legislative session has a hearing on Wednesday—SB 509 Education Opportunity Tax Credit. Scroll further down to learn about the bill.
DEADLINE FOR TESTIMONY: Tuesday, March 5 by 9:30 am
Testimony can be short and sweet or feel to elaborate. The main goal is to get a lot of opposition on the public record.
SB 509 Testimony Template & Talking Points
You can find a template for submitting testimony & some talking points at bit.ly/SB509Testimony.
And you can learn more about the bill below.
But first…voting rights bill on the Senate floor Monday
SB 365, the bill that removes the three day voter protection period for advance ballots (allows a ballot postmarked by Election Day to be counted if it is received by the Friday after Election Day) is on Senate Calendar for a vote at 2:30 pm on Monday.
The three day voter protection period is needed now more than ever with the mail delays we’ve all been experiencing. We should not be disenfranchising voters because of mail delays out of there control.
You can read more about this bill in my previous newsletter. You may recall, this is the one that is personal to me as I’ve been testifying against it on behalf of college students (including my own) for the past three years. I’d appreciate the help in stopping this bill once and for all.
Click here for a pre-populated email. You just need to:
Add your senator’s email address (ksleglookup.org), add their last name after the greeting, sign your name and city, and use your own wording, if possible.
If the link doesn’t work, here’s a sample message you can send using the subject: Vote NO on SB 365.
Dear Senator _________,
Please vote NO on SB 365. Everyone’s vote should count. There have been no issues with the current law that allows three days for ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive. These three days were put into law in 2017 as Kansans were experiencing mail delays after USPS processing centers were closed. Mail delays have only gotten once in the last couple of years.
To ensure that every Kansan can feel confident that their vote will be counted, I ask that you vote NO on SB 365.
Respectfully,
About SB 509 Education Opportunity Tax Credit
SB 509 essentially provides a refundable tax credit to taxpayers for each child NOT attending public school. They have to be attending an accredited or non-accredited private school. However, to be considered a non-accredited school in Kansas you simply must file a name and address with the Department of Education. Example:
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 (currently $173 million shortfall), 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 underfunded by $173 million.
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.
General:
Education Tax Credits will further complicate the tax code.