Senate Bill 1 is being sold by Sens. Jeffrey Piccola and Anthony Williams as the "civil rights movement" of the 21st century. But their solution — create another government agency to oversee implementation of an untested voucher program limited to a small percentage of the low-income population — leaves the middle class behind.
The program would cause a reactionary increase in non-public school costs, resulting in bloated and more expensive private education. There would be no restraint and no incentive for non-public schools to leave money on the table, especially for opportunists who see private schools as investments using taxpayer money. It would be vulnerable to lobbyists and special interest groups. Vouchers would likely increase, resulting in greater intrusion into the private sector with a potential to regulate and restrain participating non-public schools. A recent CATO Institute study revealed that vouchers, not tax credits, impose a significant, additional regulatory burden on participating private schools.
SB1 would increase the successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit, where businesses contribute to scholarship organizations in exchange for a tax credit. EITC is currently law and does not belong in SB1. It is the proverbial carrot dangling to entice the middle class to support the bill. Instead of another entitlement program that would serve as a mechanism for big government, we support:
•Expansion of EITC, which saved taxpayers more than $531 million in 2007-08 and benefited more than 44,000 students.
•Personal income tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations and for educational expenses, offsetting private school tuition and home-school expenses.
•Educational savings accounts, where the state would contribute funds in exchange for parents agreeing not to enroll children in public schools. Parents could use the account for a wide range of educational services, including alternative schools and higher education. Furthermore, parents could contribute to an account tax free and withdraw money without tax penalties.
•Interdistrict (public school to public school) education, with guidelines to not limit spaces for incoming residents and to address the issue of participating vs. non-participating public schools.
If vouchers become law, we highly recommend a sliding scale for transparency and accountability based on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute report, "When Private Schools Take Public Dollars." The more vouchers a school receives, the more transparency and higher accountability are needed. This would prevent "educrats" and greedy philanthropists from creating private schools and managing charter schools simply to make a profit and not be held accountable.
UNITEPA supports academic freedom for all parents and guardians, not just a small percentage. The voucher program lends itself to another failed government program, whose tentacles would reach far into the non-public school system.
We have a tremendous opportunity to pass a constitutional, principled bill for school choice to offer an equal opportunity for all Pennsylvanians. However, SB1 is not about school choice. It is a political attempt to disrupt the union stranglehold on schools while promoting an unconstitutional quick fix for failing schools. We hope our legislators develop a more inclusive and fair bill and/or amendments to SB1.
Sharon Cherubin is executive director of UNITEPA of Lancaster County.
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