We’re pleased State Rep. Ronnie
Townsend, R-Anderson, has publicly stated his opposition to
Gov. Mark Sanford’s tuition tax credit proposal, Put Parents
in Charge. As we are on record stating, catchy name aside, the
proposal is nothing more than a dilution of funds that should
be for public education into the private sector.
Some supporters of PPIC, the governor among them, maintain
it would improve public education by compelling public schools
to better themselves in competition for students, thus
improving funding (by increasing student population) if they
compete successfully. Yet the bill, as Mr. Townsend rightly
stated when speaking to Anderson County Board of Education,
makes no mention of just how public education will improve,
nor does it address accountability issues in private schools
if receiving public funds.
And while the quality of the education we provide as a
state for the children of South Carolina should be of primary
concern here, make no mistake, money will be an issue as well;
the rest of us will pay— one way or another — for the private
school and home school education of those children.
If the parents who remove their children from public school
receive tax credits for private school tuition or
home-schooling costs, the tax credits would go against revenue
that pays for much more than education. The majority of
education costs are absorbed by property taxes, recent
increases in which are already a sore point with many property
owners. If the legislation passes, no one should be surprised
if not only do property taxes increase but others as well, as
local governments try to absorb losses in normal tax revenue.
That’s revenue that pays for law enforcement and fire
protection and all the other benefits we all take for granted
— until we hear that costs are increasing.
We realize there are members of the Anderson delegation who
disagree with our view and won’t support Mr. Townsend’s
comments. Some have made their positions clear, others have
hedged depending upon their audience at the time.
Nevertheless, they are free to vote their consciences. But
on such an important issue, the public should know just where
they stand. And not just the public in Anderson County. We
want to hear the stances of Oconee and Pickens counties’
lawmakers as well.
We also realize and respect the rights of parents to
educate their children in a private school if they so desire.
But we don’t believe the public should have to pay for that
choice.
When a state neglects to properly provide the best
education possible for its children, it is quickly on the way
to becoming a state that will suffer not just in failing its
children but will also slowly die economically. Our governor
puts much stock in attracting "wealthy retirees and
businesses" to our state; yet what business wants to relocate
where its employees’ children cannot be properly educated? And
what retirees want to come if we cannot maintain the services
they want and need any better than we fulfill our primary
obligation, that of educating our youth.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is a long-time friend of Gov.
Sanford (and in fact, godfather to one of his children). Yet
he has stated his support for public education and that he has
concerns about the governor’s proposal.
We don’t maintain that education in South Carolina is
without its faults. Neither do we believe the answer to every
problem is money. But quality public education is a bellwether
for how a society both views and fulfills its responsibilities
to those that are among its most vulnerable citizens: Its
children.
Because that’s what public education is all about — South
Carolina’s children.
Put Parents in Charge isn’t about children or education.
It’s about politics.
