Two bills that would increase dramatically the public money going to private schools are being rammed through the Mississippi House of Representatives at lightning speed.
HB 1902 and HB 1903 both increase the tax dollars benefiting private schools through a program dubbed the “Children’s Promise Act.” Both bills appeared online for the first time this morning and were passed by the Ways and Means Committee at 10:30 a.m. HB 1902 passed on the House floor before noon. HB 1903 is on the House calendar awaiting a vote.
If we act quickly, we can put a stop to the increase in public funding for private schools.
Please call your representative immediately with this message:
Hold HB 1902 on a motion to reconsider. Amend the bill to remove the increase in tax credits benefiting private schools and require annual state audits to verify the number of qualifying children enrolled in each participating school.
and
VOTE NO on HB 1903.
Find contact information for legislators who represent your school district
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Here’s how the Children’s Promise Act works: Donors to private schools get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contributions. The law, which was authored by voucher-supporters, was written to give the impression that the intent is to benefit schools that serve children who have some disadvantage while ensuring that virtually every private school qualifies. A school qualifies for the maximum tax credit if it enrolls one child who either is in foster care OR qualifies for free or reduced-priced lunch OR has a “chronic illness or disability” (ADHD, an allergy, etc.). This year, 100 private schools qualified for the money on a first-come, first-served basis. These schools have no obligation to admit any new students, provide any services, meet any standards, or provide any accountability whatsoever to the taxpayers footing the bill. To qualify, a school must send a letter explaining how it meets the criteria. Once the school is approved, the certification lasts for 7 years. No one checks to see if the qualifying students continue to be enrolled.
The deal costs the “donor” nothing – his or her state tax liability is reduced by the amount of the donation.
An additional danger is that a provision in the new public school funding law says that when revenue decreases, legislators can use the prior year’s base student cost rather than the new, higher base cost, to fund schools, effectively reducing funding for public schools. Children’s Promise Act tax credits reduce state revenue by diverting the taxes owed to the state before they hit the state treasury. These increases in state funding to private schools can cause decreases in funding for public schools.
During this morning’s debate on HB 1902, Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez attempted to shed light on the funding flowing to private schools through this program. Chairman Trey Lamar attempted to deflect and mislead about the impact of the legislation. It’s the same song and dance we’ve seen with the Children’s Promise Act since it was first passed into law in 2019, when rank-and-file legislators were led to believe they were providing tax credits only to benefit organizations that house and serve children in foster care (Baptist Children’s Village, Methodist Children’s Home, etc.). They were not told that half of the tax credits were directed to private schools. Read our op-ed about that.
In years past, legislators have attempted to amend the law to direct all of the tax credits to benefit organizations that house and serve children in foster care. Chairman Lamar was successful in defeating those efforts. His priority clearly is public funding for private schools.
Please make those calls right away to stop the increase in funding for private schools. Our children are counting on us, and together, we’ve got this!
