School choice needed in S.C.

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Gov. Mark Sanford devoted about a third of his State of the State speech to his initiative to provide tax credits for students to attend private schools. Clearly, the governor intends to aggressively pursue school choice this year, although legislative leaders remain ambivalent.

Sanford's Put Parents in Charge Act, though it has its drawbacks, should offer greater educational opportunity for students while putting added pressure on public schools to improve. The Legislature should approve a school choice plan that will strengthen education.

To be sure, Sanford's plan could stand some modifications. Sanford and other backers of the school-choice plan have not persuaded critics that it would be most beneficial to students from low-income families — those who truly lack a choice of schools.

Sanford likes to cite the successes of the Milwaukee, Wis., school-choice program but that initiative is limited to families of modest income. A parent under Sanford's plan, on the other hand, could earn up to $75,000 taxable income. The state Department of Revenue said that includes about 95 percent of South Carolina families. The income cap should be lowered to provide tax credits only for families whose children most need to escape failing schools.

The tax credit should not become merely an expensive public subsidy for parents who already have the wherewithal to send their children to private school. Sanford is wise to cite Milwaukee's success in helping raise the academic achievement of both public and private school students. The reason was that modest competition — a maximum of 15 percent of students are allowed to participate in the Milwaukee school choice program — spurred public schools to do better. As Sanford suggested in his speech, discipline improved in Milwaukee schools and dropout rates fell.

But there are other concerns about the tax-credit plan: Would the credit be sufficient and fashioned in such a way that it helps lower-income families rather than upper middle-class families? Supporters also must deal with such issues as bus transportation and the fact that private schools have the ability to reject difficult students — those who could benefit most from school choice. Private schools also lack state oversight. They operate free from the academic and financial accountability of public schools.

These drawbacks should not doom school choice in South Carolina. But they should force Sanford and lawmakers to be diligent in designing a dynamic plan that helps struggling students who would benefit most from school choice.