Hundreds of parents and children wearing royal blue baseball caps reading, “Put Parents in Charge: The best choice,” swarmed the State House Tuesday in support of a bill offering tax credits for private school tuition.

The day was billed by proponents as a chance for lawmakers to learn how many South Carolinians support the bill, now in the S.C. House.

Backed by Gov. Mark Sanford and dubbed “Put Parents in Charge,” the bill would give tax breaks to parents who home-school their children or send them to private school or another public school.

The rally came as many House members are questioning whether the legislation is a good idea. Democrats and some Republicans fear the tax credit would leave less money in the state’s coffers for expenses ranging from state troopers to mental health.

Supporters on Tuesday said the bill deserves to be debated.

Of the hundreds gathered in front of the State House for the morning rally, most were home-schoolers or from small Christian schools across the state. Many chanted, “School choice now!” or wore lapel stickers showing their support for the bill.

It’s time to put control of children’s education in the hands of parents and give children options other than failing public schools, they said.

“We believe moms and dads need to be in charge of their children’s education,” said Jim Robertson, principal and pastor of Eastside Christian School in Greenwood. “It’s our responsibility, and we want to take responsibility.”

Crowd estimates ranged from about 1,000 to, according to rally organizers, more than 3,000.

Supporters were met at the rally by the bill’s most prominent backers in the State House: Sanford and Rep. Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg — the bill’s sponsor — as well as Tom Swatzel, president of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, a political group pushing the legislation.

“We have a system ... that is not educating our children properly,” said Swatzel, who runs a charter fishing service in Murrells Inlet. “Something must be done before we fail another generation of kids.”

Supporters say that tax credits would allow parents to choose where their children are educated and that competition from private schools would force public schools to improve.

“Our economy is the envy of the world because we have competition,” Sanford said. “This is simply about recognizing that competition has made every product ... better.”

Supporters pointed to dreary statistics as reasons why the state should offer parents options other than public schools. For example, South Carolina ranks last in SAT scores, and a third to half of all ninth-graders do not graduate from high school in four years.

They also argued parents should have more say in where the money is spent.

The crowd cheered and yelled as speakers talked about giving parents more control.

“The public schools just need more competition,” said Sue Lewis, a Clemson mother who teaches her seven children at home. Public schools “need something that says, ‘If I’m not happy here, I can take my kids somewhere else.’”

Lawmakers — and parents who home-school their children or send them to private schools — are hotly divided on the issue.

Home-school groups opposed to the bill vowed to turn out in force for a dueling rally Tuesday, but they were nearly invisible.

Ava Miller, director of the Christian Homeschooler’s Association of South Eastern South Carolina, said about 36 people showed up to protest the bill.

“We couldn’t afford to bus people in like the other groups (in favor) did,” she said.

Some home-school parents have concerns about the bill. One is whether, under the tax credit, the government would be able to control what and how they teach.

While those rallying Tuesday said schools spend tax money inefficiently, school administrators said opponents do not understand education funding.

Molly Spearman, executive director of the S.C. Association of School Administrators, said those supporting tax credits don’t acknowledge how much it costs to keep schools open, hire custodians and substitutes, and meet other costs.

She added private schools are less accountable to taxpayers.

“Public schools are audited, and we report to the people on every dollar we spend from teachers’ salaries to the light bill,” Spearman said.

Backers of the bill say the tax credit would improve the economy. Also, schools would have fewer kids to teach, while local property taxes paying for schools would stay the same, they say.

Opponents say an economic study of the bill shows schools would lose between $570 and $2,040 per student using the tax credit.

“Why would a fiscally conservative state like South Carolina invest all of that money and have no clue whatsoever about what those dollars are buying?” said Jim Foster, spokesman for the state Department of Education.

It’s unclear whether the rally swayed any lawmakers. Of those interviewed, many said they were glad to hear from constituents.

“But I don’t know that it has any major effect,” said Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Beaufort, who said he is neutral on the bill, though he questions whether it is necessary.

“I’m trying to understand really what the good of this bill would be.”

Reach Talhelm at (803) 771-8339 or jtalhelm@thestate.com. Staff writer Jeff Stensland contributed to this article.