Record Staff Report
Ahead of the 2020 Kentucky General Assembly, that will run from January through April, EdChoice KY is aiming to educate constituents about the benefits of scholarship tax credits and dispel some myths.
EdChoice KY is a non-profit organization focused on giving families in need more education options through a scholarship tax credit program, which has been proposed in the state legislature with bipartisan support in years’ past.
During last year’s General Assembly, myths about scholarship tax credits emerged, including claims that scholarships would be awarded to students from wealthy families.
The Catholic Conference of Kentucky is part of the EdChoice coalition and supports the proposed program.
“CCK is proud to support scholarship tax credit legislation that would tear down financial barriers for thousands of Kentucky families by dramatically increasing private donations to tuition assistance programs,” said Andrew Vandiver, associate director of the conference, which represents the state’s bishops on matters of public policy.
Previously proposed scholarship tax credit programs would work this way:
First, an individual or business can donate to certain scholarship-granting organizations, such as the Catholic Education Foundation in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
The individual or business donor receives a tax credit on state taxes.
The scholarship-granting organization awards scholarships to students who demonstrate financial need to attend a non-public school.
EdChoice KY recently debuted a short video to describe the positive impact the program could have on students in Kentucky.
The video, created in partnership with the Foundation for Excellence in Education, says, “scholarship tax credits are a way for parents to have a choice in finding the educational environment that best fits their child’s unique needs.”
Students from lower-income families, including students with learning disabilities or students from the foster-care system “often don’t have educational choice due to limited financial means,” the video says.
It can be viewed at edchoiceky.com/resources/ and on the EdChoice KY Facebook page.
This summer, EdChoice KY launched a social media contest, awarding a $1,000 cash prize to the winning school. The #MySchoolChoice Contest invited schools, both public and non-public, to raise awareness about school choice.
The first-place winner was Holy Name of Jesus School in Henderson, Ky. In second place was Sts. Peter and Paul School in Hopkinsville, Ky. And, duPont Manual High School in Louisville took third.
Printable hand-outs and fact sheets about scholarship tax credits can also be found on the EdChoice KY website.
