LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: SCHOOL CHOICE BILL SHOULD TAKE ACCOUNT OF POLITICAL REALITY

To the Editor:

I applaud Senator Kinder's efforts to bring "School Choice" to the forefront in Missouri. I hope the focus of his effort is not limited to the "scholarship" concept. As I understand his proposal, everyone who pays for their own tuition is entitled to a set amount of state money. This concept is philosophically consistent if we are looking mainly at the equitable reimbursement for money saved state coffers by private education.

The political reality is that the public is not willing to reimburse the "rich" the same amount of money as the "poor". Suburban people will find fault in funding a rural school, where the cost of living and tax rates are lower, the same as their higher priced school.

If the purpose of this legislation is to inject market forces into the education world by making private education a viable option for those who otherwise could not afford it; then the program should be tailored in that direction. If any legislation is to pass the General Assembly and gain voter approval, it must be modest in cost and representative of the diversity of the state. I think a tax credit, similar to the federal credit for child care, addresses the issue in a more acceptable manner. The credit could be structured to rebate 75 percent to 25 percent of the tuition paid, depending on income. The tuition could be capped at the amount your district spends per pupil. While government education in your district would continue to 100 percent tax funded, you could choose another public or private school and receive up to 75 percent of your tuition back in taxes.

Both the tax credit and the scholarship proposals improve the options a parent has today. The cost and progressivity will be issues regardless of your position on school choice. Let us move forward with the bill that has the greatest chance of passage.

Ken Schaefer

Cape Girardeau