Dear Editor,

In Newberry and across South Carolina the HOPE, LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships have helped thousands of students attend college. Some have gone to private schools, others to public ones. Some will be the first in their family to attend college. For others the scholarship helps lighten the load of high interest student loans.

The basic idea is simple. College graduates are important for the state’s economy and the life of our local community. Helping students obtain a higher degree serves a common public purpose. Extending the opportunity to low-income students also reduces social and economic inequality.

This is a great example of School Choice and we need to offer something like it for younger students as well.

Lawmakers in Columbia are considering such a proposal right now. It’s called the South Carolina Educational Opportunity Act. It is Senate Bill 520 and House Bill 3802.

The legislation offers income tax credits to parents who transfer their children from public to private or home schools or who cross district lines and move to a different school district. This will be a cash windfall for local schools in Newberry and get more money to the classroom and to the hard-working teachers where it’s needed most. That’s because over $5,000 in locally raised money per student will remain with the school district when children transfer out. There is also another $1,000 in federal spending, most of which would also remain with the public district. In other words, public schools would have dramatically more money to educate fewer children.

Tax credits will also be extended to corporations donating to non-profit scholarship granting organizations that serve low-income families. This will dramatically expand access to educational options and reduce the shameful educational inequalities that characterize parts of South Carolina.

Parents in upper middle and high-income families already enjoy K-12 choices. They can move between attendance zones or districts, place their kids in a private school, or sacrifice a parent’s time and income in order to home school their child. Many other families don’t have these luxuries.

School choice is proven. It means real options for parents. It also means real reform and accountability, which is the catalyst to expanding what matters most in education: parental involvement.

Chad Connelly

Prosperity