Support

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) believes that the time has come for the State of New York to pass legislation to help parents with the real costs of educating their children (including enrollment in a private school, home-school expenses, or special tutoring).

NYCF seeks a tax credit, which is a reduction of tax liability on state income taxes, rather than a voucher program which involves direct payment to schools.  An education tax credit would help both parents and the State of New York.

1. Choice — All New York State parents should be able to direct their children’s education, including the school their children will attend.  This right is available now only to those parents who can afford private education. This bill will help all parents to exercise this right.
2. Control — The goal of school choice programs is to give parents more control over their child's education, and to allow parents to pursue the most appropriate learning environments for their children. For example, school choice may enable parents to choose a school that provides stronger discipline, better foundational skills including reading, writing, mathematics, and science, everyday skills from money management to farming, religious instruction, or other desirable focuses.
3. Competition — School alternatives will lead to competition between schools for students.  All schools will be compelled to produce results. This would be a catalyst for schools to create innovative programs, become more responsive to parents, and to increase student achievement.  Schools that fail to attract students will be forced to either change or close.
4. Costs — Education tax credits would lead to tremendous savings.  Studies by the Cato Institute and others have found that privately operated education usually costs between one quarter to one half of the publically run education, while giving superior results. The State currently spends well over $10,000 per child in the public school system.  Every child in a private school or home-school saves taxpayers thousands of dollars. Education tax credits would allow parents to receive back a small fraction of this money.

Seven States currently have education tax credit plans: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.  All report significant savings. For example, the State of Florida found that their Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships for low income students saved Florida taxpayers over $39 million in 2009.

The State of New York is in a financial crisis.  Legislators are properly looking for ways of cutting the State Budget, while at the same time not cutting services.  Passing education tax credit legislation would be a small step in the right direction.