| Aiken officials disagree on Sanford school plan AIKEN - With tax credits and school vouchers a hotly debated political issue, one of South Carolina's premier proponents of charter schools said Friday that Gov. Mark Sanford's Contract for Change could revolutionize South Carolina's education system much as the GI bill did for universities. The World War II-era federal program enabled thousands of veterans to gain a college education, making a degree accessible to more than rich people and expanding the number of colleges and universities in the United States, said David Church, the executive director of the South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools. Injecting more choice into the state's public education system might have a similar impact. "The GI bill made for a higher standard of education for the U.S. military," Dr. Church said. "The more choices that parents have, the better it provides for education." While grass-roots organizations such as South Carolinians for Responsible Government favor tax credits for education such as those proposed by Mr. Sanford, they are quick to define the difference between tax credits and vouchers. "A voucher is actually government money, and with that comes strings attached," said Denver Merrill, a spokesman for the South Carolinians for Responsible Government. "With tax credits, the money stays with the parents and lets them decide. This is real education reform rather than throwing funding at the same things." Part of his Contract for Change legislative agenda for next year, Mr. Sanford's Put Parents in Charge Act would provide parents with tax credits for tuition at private schools. The credits could be used against both income tax and property tax liability. Mr. Sanford said the plan would beef up public school performance while providing more education options to low-income families. But there is opposition to tax credits from the "education establishment" of traditional public schools, Mr. Merrill said. "It comes down to money and power over these children and parents," he said. "But the parents should make the ultimate decision on where their children go." The Aiken County school board voted earlier this year to show its opposition to vouchers and tax credits - two terms that have the same meaning, said Aiken County Superintendent Linda Eldridge. "Vouchers would have a negative impact on our schools, and they are underfunded as it is," Dr. Eldridge said. "The fact that our budgets have been cut during the past several years leaves us behind what was needed."
Reach Karen Ethridge at (803) 648-1395, ext. 109 or karen.ethridge@augustachronicle.com.
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