The Sun News on April 23 misses the mark concerning the "Put Parents in Charge Act," a tuition tax-credit bill supported by Gov. Mark Sanford and sponsored by 35 House members that will expand educational opportunities for middle- and low-income families.

Let's set the record straight. The act allows parents and/or relatives of a child a credit against their property- or state-income-tax liability for spending their own money for independent school tuition, public school interdistrict transfer fees or certain home schooling expenses. Individuals and businesses can also receive tax credits for contributing their own money to scholarship-granting organizations, which can grant scholarships to low-income families who may not have sufficient tax liability to take advantage of tax credits. In no way are these payments by individuals or businesses of their own money "public subsidies" for private schools.

The per-pupil tax credits of $3,200 for kindergarten, $4,000 for grades 1-8, and $4,600 for grades 9-12 equal the average independent school tuition in South Carolina. Additionally, the act allows scholarship-granting organizations to offer scholarships of up to $10,000 per pupil for children with disabilities.

The act recognizes that parents are the experts in knowing the kind of education their children need. It will return to all parents their right to choose the best and safest education for their children.

This act will indeed put parents in charge of education in South Carolina - causing all schools to be accountable to parents. The act will cause public schools to respond to the needs of families and deliver a higher-quality education.

Studies of public school students in Milwaukee, Michigan, Arizona and Florida have all found sharp improvements in academic performance after school-choice programs were implemented. Studies also show that school-choice programs increase both parental involvement and satisfaction with their children's education.

Students struggling in public school take advantage of school-choice programs more often than any other group. According to research data, the majority of students who opted for school choice programs in Milwaukee and Florida were C and D students or those scoring below the national averages on standardized tests. A Marquette University study found that more students with academic or discipline problems transferred to private schools.

The act will save the state money while increasing per-pupil funding for public schools. A recent fiscal impact study by Clemson University estimates that the act will actually save the state $594 million during just its five-year phase-in - all of which under the act must be used to increase per pupil funding for public schools.

The act has strong popular support. Our polling data shows that the overwhelming majority of South Carolinians support school choice: 62 percent support the tuition tax credits concept; 80 percent say parents, not the government, should be able to choose which school a child attends; and 85 percent say all families should be able to make the same educational choices as the wealthy.

At a recent Statehouse public hearing on the act, hundreds of parents and children turned out to express their strong support for the bill. The only identifiable opposition was from public education bureaucrats in Columbia who fear losing their power over education to parents.

Thankfully, local S.C. Reps. Alan Clemmons, Tracy Edge, Tom Keegan, Thad Viers, Liston Barfield and Billy Witherspoon are co-sponsors. They recognize, as most South Carolinians do, that school choice is a win-win for parents and education in this state.