A group of black pastors courted by Gov. Mark Sanford
wants assurances Sanford's Put Parents in Charge bill would guarantee
scholarships to poorer children so they could attend private schools.
The controversial bill would give state income tax credits to
families that send their children to private schools. Proponents have
touted it as a solution for low-income kids who aren't doing well in
public schools. Opponents say it includes no financial guarantees for
children in poverty.
The group of black ministers, Clergy for Educational Options, has met
with Sanford in recent weeks. Its leader, the Rev. Richard Davis of
Victory Life Ministries in Columbia, said the pastors will officially
announce their stand on the bill after an upcoming meeting.
"We want to make sure it's not just a tax break for the rich," Davis
said. "We do see some good things in the bill, but as pastors with
social concern, we want to make sure the poor will benefit."
Davis said his group numbers about three dozen, with about 100 more
pastors who are following the group's work. Davis said his group stepped
in because "partisanship has prevented compromise."
The Rev. Maurice Revell of Agape International Ministries in Rock
Hill is part of the coalition. The bill is "a step in the right
direction," he said.
"We want to be on the front end of adjustments to the bill," Revell
said. "We want to look at eligibility and income restraints."
Revell would like to see the bill more focused on the poor.
Under the proposed law, qualified students would come from families
whose state taxable income is $75,000 or less. That equates to about
$90,000 in gross income.
Adversaries point out that while the bill says poorer families would
receive a larger percentage of their income as a tax credit, very
low-income families do not pay enough state income tax to even approach
the cost of private tuition.
Proponents counter the bill includes a measure for scholarship
granting organizations -- dubbed SGOs. Individuals and corporations
could obtain unlimited state income tax credits for donations made to
these SGOs.
Rep. Ronald Townsend, R-Anderson, chair of the House Education and
Public Works Committee, made a presentation last week to all York County
school boards and some local legislators. He is stumping around the
state against Put Parents in Charge.
"'Qualifying students,'" Townsend said, quoting the bill. "It doesn't
say poor students or minority students."
Revell recommends "a certain percentage of the SGO monies should go
to people in the lower income range."
Denver Merrill, spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible
Government, supporters of the bill, said the bill may be amended.
"Ensuring that money might go to low- and moderate-income families is
open to discussion," he said. "We have not proposed that the bill
include that, but we are willing to look at it if they bring it to the
table."
Meanwhile, some black groups have already lined up against the
bill.
Critics in general argue that a dollar-for-dollar tax credit would
subtract millions of dollars from the state general revenue fund --
which pays for police, prisons, health and other state services. Those
reductions would also affect how much South Carolina would receive from
the federal government in matching dollars for programs such as
Medicaid.
The state NAACP believes the bill is an effort to court some black
voters by the Republicans.
"The Republican Party is reaching out to certain African-American
churches they feel are more conservative," said Steve Love, chair of the
NAACP's Western York County chapter. "They used religious morals such as
same-sex marriage in the last election to win a lot of black churches
over. They are using the same thing for PPIC."
Love theorizes that black ministers who tend to support the bill
think it will bring more income to their churches.
"Once you let the government come in and run your church, it's not a
church anymore," he said.
Rep. Bessie Moody-Lawrence, D-Rock Hill, said she won't vote for the
bill no matter who supports it. Moody-Lawrence is a former elementary
school teacher who taught elementary education to education majors at
Winthrop University.
"I don't care if they sprinkle sugar on it," the black legislator
said, "I am against it. Have we forgotten about all that history of
separate but not equal?"
She points out private school teachers are not required to obtain
training equal to public school teachers, who must be certified to
teach.
"It's all about money and outside groups pouring money into this,"
she said. "I don't think how children learn is at the center of the
debate at all."
Townsend said he's giving the bill a "50-50 chance" of making it out
of committee to the House floor for debate.
"They've put an awful lot of work into the minority communities," the
veteran legislator said of bill supporters.
"I've seen issues change momentum in the House in a hurry," he said.
"With the governor behind it and the amount of money pushing it, I
wouldn't bet on it."
Karen Bair • 329-4080
kbair@heraldonline.com
