Lawmakers Hear Value of School Scholarship Tax Credits

The school scholarship tax credit program was revisited in testimony this afternoon before the House Ways and Means Committee.  Various groups – including the Indiana Chamber – are talking about the program’s value and encouraging legislators to include it in the final state budget. Governor Daniels advocated for the same in his recent budget proposal. Scholarship tax credits saw some promising developments throughout the regular session – only to be abandoned in the final few days as budget discussions collapsed.

A school scholarship tax credit program would help raise millions of dollars annually in private donations to open up school choices for parents by paying for the transfer fees from one school to another.

Parents want and need more educational options. Every year, thousands of families face a harsh reality that without the financial resources to pay private school tuition or public school transfer fees, they have few or no options in where and how their child receives an education.

And the importance of a quality education cannot be overstated. If the schooling children and teens receive is strong, then they will have the tools to succeed in college and their professional lives. Conversely, if their educational foundation is weak, they will find it hard to achieve beyond their high school graduation.