By Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Senate Republicans have revived an attempt to enrich private schools and the families they serve through a $125 million voucher program.
Private schools from around the state delivered their students en masse Tuesday to demonstrate support for Senate Bill 75, which is similar to legislation considered in past sessions. Republican leaders, bolstered by enlarged supermajorities, have promised to pass a voucher program this year.
Supporters of the bill promote it as a “school choice” initiative, even though the money would flow to families whose children are already enrolled in private schools, there are no private school options for large swaths of the state, and the credits may not be enough for low-income families to afford private school tuitions that exceed $20,000 annually in some places.
The students who were bused to Wednesday’s rally on the south steps of the Statehouse carried signs that read “let me learn,” “put kids first,” “parents know best” and “choice means hope.”
Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, told the students “education freedom is the key to education,” and she promised to “get it done” this year.
She said it was time for the state “to truly value the diversity and learning styles and individuals for every single student in Kansas.”
Erickson sponsored SB 75, which would give parents an $8,000 tax credit for each child enrolled in an accredited private school. Parents who homeschool their children — which is classified as a nonaccredited private school — would receive $4,000 per child. They could claim the credits in advance or when they file their tax returns. Any student who is enrolled in a public school for any period of time would be ineligible to receive a tax credit that year. Students who receive a low-income student scholarship would be excluded from the tax credits.
The legislation is capped at $125 million for the first year, but would increase by 25% each year, as long as tax credits reach 90% of the cap. Kansas State Department of Education data shows there are currently 26,000 students enrolled in private schools, which means the annual cost for the voucher program could exceed $200 million by the fourth year.
Private school officials and students spoke in favor of unlocking funding that would support faith-based learning. Opponents questioned the merits of using tax dollars to promote religious ideology.
Emily Aragon, a 15-year-old student at Maranatha Christian Academy in Shawnee, said she valued the unconditional support and guidance she receives at her school, which she has attended since fourth grade. She said she was was previously homeschooled.
Aragon said she has learned through her private school teachings “that no dream or goal is too big when it is fueled by dedication and passion.”
“I passionately believe that all Kansans should have access to an education that not only prepares them for their future, but also empowers them to make a positive, lasting impact on our society,” Aragon said.
John Walker, superintendent of Central Christian School in Hutchinson, said it was his “fundamental belief” that “parents have the sovereign rights over their children.” He said it would become clear decades from now that proponents of “school choice” were on the right side of history.
“We do lots of things that the public school does,” Walker said. “We teach from a different world view, and that’s what parents want to sign up for.”
Bart Kooiman, who identified himself as a U.S. citizen, Kansas resident and small business owner, drew a correlation in his written testimony between “school choice” and the option to terminate a pregnancy in Kansas. The state’s perspective on “choice,” he said, “is upside down in the worst ways.” He pointed to the volume of abortions performed in Kansas for out-of-state residents.
“What does that say about the priorities of our state?” Kooiman said. “Is that what you want our state to be known for? In Kansas, parents can freely choose to end the life of their unborn child, but they cannot choose which school their child attends.”
Speaking in opposition to the bill, Laurel Burchfield, advocacy director for the Mainstream Coalition, said it would be wrong to divert taxes away from public services to pay for religious teachings.
She said Christian school textbooks have been shamed for the way they teach about science in history. They describe the Loch Ness Monster as a real example of a modern day dinosaur that proves creationism, or characterize slavery as a former of immigration for Black people to leave Africa, she offered as examples.
“This bill essentially is making me now donate or tithe to churches to which I do not belong,” Burchfield said. “It also promotes a very specific view of the world that can be based in narrow extremist religious teachings that don’t represent the beliefs of many people of faith.”
Lynn Rogers, a banker and former state senator, lieutenant governor and state treasurer, predicted the voucher program would “devastate rural communities.” If a small school lost 5-10 students, he said, the school could close. He testified on behalf of Kansas Interfaith Action Group.
“You lose a school, you lose a post office, you lose a co-op, you lose the entire community,” Rogers said. “I’ve seen it happen many times.”
Because families would be eligible no matter their income, he said, a family with two students in private school and annual earnings of $300,000 would not pay any state taxes after receiving the credits.
“That’s going to blow a real hole in your budget,” Rogers said.
