TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal to expand a program that uses tax credits to help low-income students attend private schools.
Supporters of the bill told House and Senate committees Tuesday the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the disparity between private schools, which are mostly operating with in-person classes, and public schools, which are offering online or hybrid education, The Wichita Eagle reported.
“The haves were able to put their kids in a full time school where they could afford to pay for it, the have nots were stuck,” said Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican.
Opponents argued the proposal would hurt public schools by depleting the state’s general fund, and said it would eventually allow a voucher program that would use tax dollars to send students to private schools.
Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City Democrat called the expansion measure “vouchers by another name.”
Currently, the program allows tax credits for donations to private school scholarships for low-income students at the 100 lowest-performing elementary schools in the state. It provides $2.5 million in tax credits for 632 children.
The new proposal would make the program available to all Kansas students eligible for federally subsidized free-and-reduced-price lunch, more than 179,000 children.
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