Action Alert: Student Success Scholarship Bill Awaits House Debate

CURRENT STATUS:

After a week off for spring break State representatives have returned to Jefferson City to take up key legislation, including a bill that would offer scholarship assistance to students trapped in failing public schools in the districts of the City of St. Louis, Kansas City and Wellston. Intense opposition is expected from public school groups, but HB 1783 is sponsored by Rep. Carl Bearden (R-St. Charles), the Speaker Pro Tem of the Missouri House, which gives the bill the added endorsement of the House legislative leadership. In addition, Rep. Bearden is known as a very skilled debater who will be ready to make the case for the legislation.

In an earlier mailing many of you received an MCC Quickfacts and Viewpoint on HB 1783. If you did not receive this information or you have misplaced it, you can obtain another copy by simply clicking here.

Passage of HB 1783 will require a strong outpouring of support from citizens throughout the state, including areas where there are few Catholic or other private schools. All representatives need to understand that although this bill targets St. Louis. Kansas City and Wellston it affects the entire state because we all pay state taxes that fund our urban public schools.

The MCC supports public schools and most Catholic children attend public schools. We support urban public schools, including the school districts of the City of St. Louis, Kansas City and Wellston. That is one important reason why the MCC supports HB 1783. Money alone has not solved the woes of our urban education system. New strategies are essential in order to improve academic programs so students in these districts can be competitive with students in other areas of the state.

Research has shown that public schools in Florida faced with voucher competition actually improved their programs and the students who continued to attend those public schools improved their academic performance. This legislation should not be viewed as an attack on public schools but as an opportunity for these schools to meet the challenge and provide better education for students.

HB 1783 is being characterized by public school groups as a “voucher bill” that will take money away from public schools. In fact, the bill does not appropriate state money for student vouchers. Instead, HB 1783 offers a state income tax credit for businesses and individuals who contribute to private foundations that offer K-12 scholarships to needy students. This is much different from vouchers. Under HB 1783 the state is simply agreeing not to tax the money taxpayers donate for the scholarship help. The state legislature has enacted a number of tax concessions for activities deemed to further the common good. Public school groups are not opposing existing tax credits but only this one. Their argument that the HB 1783 tax credit is somehow different from the existing tax credits is without merit.

But in one sense support for HB 1783 does require new thinking by our lawmakers. Instead of focusing solely on systems like public schools and assuming that funding those systems will automatically result in better education for children, HB 1783 focuses first on the children and what is best for them. In other words, HB 1783 is child centered rather than system centered. It does not mean that traditional public schools should be abandoned or not funded, but it does mean that new and innovative approaches should also be tried.

Those who oppose HB 1783 can never answer the question “what would you do if your child were trapped in a failing public school?” Every parent knows that their child has only one chance to receive a good education. They know that their children cannot wait four or five years for promised school reforms. Those who are affluent have school choices now but the poor do not. It is a matter of social justice that all parents have options and that all children have access to quality education.

Funding public schools is one way to provide access to quality education but public schools cannot meet the educational needs of all children. Each child has unique learning needs and different schools work for different children.

The Catholic Church upholds the right of parents to choose schooling for their children “which corresponds with their own convictions.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2229). The Catechism declares parental rights in this area to be “fundamental” and declares that “Public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions for its exercise.” (Catechism, par. 2229). HB 1783 offers more school options for poor parents. It creates “the concrete conditions” for parents to truly direct their child’s education in accord with their convictions.

ACTION REQUESTED :

• Contact your State representative Immediately

• See list of representatives below for contact information. For those receiving by email the names are hyper-linked so you are one click away from the representative’s website where you can email your message right now!

• Report back to the MCC on what your representative is saying by calling 1-800-456-1679 or emailing hoeyjm@mocatholic.org.

THE MESSAGE:

Please vote for HB 1783. This bill will offer scholarship assistance to children trapped in failing public schools in the districts of the City of St. Louis, Wellston and Kansas City. Missouri taxpayers have poured millions into these districts but student performance continues to lag far behind students in other areas of the state. These public school districts can improve but only if parents are given more school choices. Empowering poor parents in these districts with other school options will spur the public schools to improvements while giving school families the ability to find quality schooling for their child. HB 1783 is good for the taxpayer and good for our school children.

ROSTER OF STATE REPRESENTATIVES: