Missouri considers financial break for homeschoolers

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Missouri considers financial break for homeschoolers
Some families could qualify for $5,000-a-year scholarship if tax-credit bill passes

Legislation in Missouri would give St. Louis parents who home-school their children something many of them don't even want — cash from a $40 million state tax credit program to pay for curriculum and supplies.

If approved, the measure is likely to be the first of its kind in the nation. A handful of states, including Illinois, offer tax breaks to offset the costs of educational supplies, including home-schooling materials. But the Missouri legislation would go further.

Under the plan, home-schooled students who live in areas served by unaccredited school districts would qualify for scholarships, perhaps of as much as $5,000 a year.

The measure is part of a larger tax credit bill that also would allow thousands of children to use the scholarships to attend private school. Under a House bill, only students in St. Louis and Kansas City could qualify. A Senate version would apply to children in failing school districts across the state.


Christine Lockette said she would be among the first to line up for the home-schooling assistance.

Lockette, of St. Louis, has home-schooled her six children to provide an escape to failing public schools. Even so, she said, her tax dollars have continued to support the school district. She says giving home-schooling parents money to cover expenses is a matter of justice.

"I pay taxes and my husband pays taxes," said Lockette, who has traveled to Jefferson City to lobby for the bill. "It is our money too, and it's our choice."

Many advocates of home schooling say they're leery of the scholarships, which they fear could invite state regulations.

"Our position is, we want to be independent from government," said Brian Hackworth, head of the St. Louis chapter of Families for Home Education. "The way we see best to do that is to not accept government funds."

But the sponsor of the House bill, Speaker Pro-Tem Carl Bearden, said his measure comes with no regulatory strings attached.

Bearden, R-St. Charles, said private scholarship administrators — not the state — would determine how to

distribute the money to families who home-school. They also would be responsible for ensuring that the money is spent properly. The bill would not allow the money to be used to pay parents for teaching.

Under the bill, taxpayers and corporations who donate to the new privately run scholarship funds would receive money from the state, in the form of reduced taxes, to reimburse up to 65 percent of their contribution.

The legislation calls for scholarships averaging $5,000 a year but does not specifically spell out how much home-schooled students might receive. Bearden said that decision would be up to scholarship administrators.

The measure sets up numerous conditions, such as standardized exams, for those using the scholarships. But Bearden said those kinds of restrictions won't apply to home-schoolers.

The Home School Legal Defense Association, the nation's largest advocacy group of its kind, said it has reservations about the bill.

Ian Slatter, a spokesman for the group, said even a bill that seeks to protect the independence of home-schoolers can't keep regulations from being added in future years.

The tax credit bill has the support of Republican leaders such as Gov. Matt Blunt, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and House Speaker Rod Jetton. But it also faces strong opposition. Critics, including many rural Republicans, fear it would drain the state of tax funds that could instead be invested in public schools. Jetton has committed to bringing the tax credit bill to a vote in the House, but leaders in the Senate have made no such commitment.

The Senate version of the bill has yet to see any action. The House version has cleared committee and could come to a vote on the floor any day. If the bill is approved, the Senate would then debate details, such as whether the scholarships should be targeted solely to students in St. Louis and Kansas City, or also to other parts of the state.

A handful of states already have similar tax credit scholarship programs. But no state allows scholarships to be used for home-schooling materials, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that supports the tax credits.

Meanwhile, a few other states offer more modest tax breaks for education supplies, including for home-schoolers. But in the case of Illinois, the tax break only pays for a fourth the cost of supplies, up to $500 a year.

Lockette said she spends 10 times that much buying ready-made home-schooling curriculum for her children.

Bearden said he doubts families will choose to home-school simply for the money. But he said the home-schooling incentive could make it easier for parents to pull their kids out of failing schools.

"What we're trying to do here is support educational alternatives for children in St. Louis," he said.

The bills are HB808 and SB698.