by Chuck Weber
Where your treasure lies, there also your heart will be.” — Lk 12:34
The education of our children is a big deal at the Kansas statehouse and for Catholics in Kansas.
Listening to St. Luke, both our pocketbooks (treasure) and our hearts reflect the education of Kansas children as a top priority. According to the state of Kansas, 57% of all state tax dollars, or $6.1 billion, go to public education. Including local and federal funds, a K-12 public education reaches about $18,500 per student.
Catholics value an education so much that many tax-paying parishioners support two school systems — their local public schools and one or more Catholic schools. About 30,000 students attend close to 105 Kansas Catholic schools statewide.
“As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental” Catechism of the Catholic Church (2229).
Not enough Kansas legislators support the right of parents to choose an educational setting that best fits the unique needs of their child. Proposals to expand Kansas’ modest school choice program this legislative session may fall short.
The Low-Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program in Kansas has helped families and students with educational scholarships for 10 years. The program is funded by private dollar donations to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) that become eligible for a 75% state tax credit.
The Catholic Educational Foundation (CEF) is the archdiocesan SGO. CEF distributes scholarships to hundreds of students from low-income families. Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, is but one example. Private donations to CEF pay the cost of education for 60% of the Bishop Ward student body. A third of Bishop Ward students attend school on a CEF scholarship.
Kansas tax credit programs are commonplace. More than 40 different state tax credit programs grant taxpayers relief on issues ranging from adoption to rural opportunity zones to improved swine facilities and much more.
Certain opponents of the Low-Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program claim it deprives funding for Kansas public schools. It does not. They falsely claim the program sends public dollars to private schools. These claims and others, including that this is a “voucher program,” are simply not true.
The governor is expected to veto this or similar legislation to help low-income families. With your help, the veto can be overridden by the legislature. We call upon Kansas Catholics to learn the facts at: www.kansascatholic.org/issues/active-campaigns.
Respectfully make your voice heard and make a difference.
