The Kansas Senate voted on legislation to expand the tax credit scholarship program to more students, giving them the ability to receive the education they choose.
Senate Bill 61, authored by Senate Education Chair Molly Baumgardner, expands student eligibility for the state’s education choice program, known as the Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship, to include all students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch instead of limiting participation to only students in the lowest 100 performing schools.
“By allowing more Kansas students to qualify for this scholarship, the Senate recognizes that educational opportunity is a priority, and hard-working families deserve the ability to send their child to a school that works best for them. Thanks to Senator Molly Baumgardner, more economically disadvantaged students will have access to a high-quality education.”
Zach Eckert, Legislative Affairs Director, ExcelinEd in Action
Across the country, tax credit scholarship programs are widely supported by families and the public at large. In fact, recent data show 65 percent of the public support school choice overall. With nearly two dozen programs nationwide, tax credit scholarships are one of the fastest-growing school choice programs. Neighboring states that include Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Oklahoma now offer these scholarships.
The companion bill, House Bill 2068 by House K-12 Budget Chair Kristey Williams, is awaiting a hearing on the House floor.
Learn more about tax-credit scholarships.
Tax-credit scholarship programs allow parents to select the schools best suited to the needs of their children while saving money for state and local taxpayers. Tax-credit scholarships are one of the fastest growing education opportunity programs. These programs incentivize individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit organizations that provide tuition scholarships to eligible students. Through this process, tax-credit scholarship programs use entirely private funds to offer private school scholarships to families. Many existing tax-credit scholarship programs are designed specifically to help low-income students and students with special educational needs access high-quality education options.
