COLUMBIA--Lisa Bogan didn't get to tell her story
Wednesday to state lawmakers who are considering a proposal to give tax credits
for private school tuition.
The mother of three home-schooled children sat in the back of the room while
lawmakers listened as nearly 30 well-mobilized organizations dominated a
four-hour public hearing on the hotly contested legislation.
"I expect to hear both sides' well-polished and rehearsed comments," Bogan
said before the meeting.
"There are some high-powered attorneys in here," she remarked as speakers
filed into the meeting. "In my fantasy world, I'd like to hear parents speak"
because they are the ones affected.
The bill would give tax credits to parents who move their children from
public schools to private schools, home schools or another public school. Only a
few parents snagged a coveted slot on the list of speakers for the first public
hearing on the revised "Put Parents in Charge" legislation.
A number of the speakers said they were parents of public school students,
but they primarily spoke as leaders of associations and organizations they
represented.
The special House subcommittee debating the bill limited the hearing to 36
speakers, evenly divided among supporters and opponents.Each speaker had five
minutes to make their case.
Presenters on both sides of the debate didn't waste words, using fiery
rhetoric in an effort to sway legislators regarding a proposal that will greatly
change the way the state educates its children.
To summarize assorted speakers who favored the bill, it would "empower
parents" with "much-needed choice" that could "turn around education" in South
Carolina.
But collective comments from opponents labeled the legislation as an
"abandonment of our public schools" and an "untested statewide experiment" that
would allow someone to start a "school of Satanism" if one were so inclined.
The testimony made the capacity crowd cheer, laugh and grumble at various
points during the meeting. But more than anything, lawmakers and others left a
little confused. When one side mentioned statistics and rankings supporting
their arguments, the other would criticize them and offer their own. Nothing
about the bill's impact was directly agreed upon.
"I don't think we heard anything new," said Rep. Shirley Hinson, R-Goose
Creek, chairwoman of the House subcommittee.
A prime example was the juxtaposition of testimony from state Superintendent
Inez Tenenbaum, who noted all the ways schools are improving, and the governor's
office, which spoke next about the reasons they are falling behind.
Tenenbaum, a Democrat, highlighted the recent improvements in state education
and decried the proposal as "drastically flawed."
"I urge you to send this legislation back to the out-of-state interest groups
that brought it here in the first place," she said.
Republican Gov. Mark Sanford told subcommittee members that the bill creates
competition that would improve the entire education system. "The numbers I've
seen suggest you need to look at something more drastic than incremental
change," said Sanford, who first proposed the tax credit legislation last year.
A few parents, like Bogan, were able to attend. But Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter,
D-Orangeburg and a subcommittee member, said she would like to hear from more
parents in another public hearing.
"I want to hear parents come up and speak who are low income and have not
been provided written testimony by (the main groups on) these two sides," she
said.
Hinson said another hearing at an upcoming meeting is unnecessary. "I think
every point that could be raised has been," Hinson said. The committee, which is
expected to take up the bill again next week, is tentatively split at 3-2 in
favor of the bill.
