Politics & Government

Private School Tax Credit Proposed by 2 Wisconsin Legislators

Up to $2,500 per child would be available as a state tax credit for families who send their kids to private schools, if two legislators can get their bill passed.

Families who send their kids to private schools without using school choice vouchers would be eligible for state tax credits under a new proposal from two state lawmakers.

According to a story in the Daily Cardinal from UW-Madison, state Sen. Glen Grothman, R-West Bend, and Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, have announced plans to re-introduce a bill that would give tax credits to families who send their kids to private schools.

The credits would come to $1,500 for each elementary school student and $2,500 for each high school student enrolled in a private school.

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Grothman's and Kaufert's reasoning is that public schools get up to $15,000 per child in taxpayer support but parents who choose private schools don't get any public assistance.

“As well-funded public schools continue to have their funding increased, private schools are continually crowded out of the equation. Private school attendance has fallen from 147,000 in year 2000 to 123,784 last year," Grothman said in a statement on his website. "Also, 23,200 of these students are choice students. If we do not act quickly the situation will continue to get worse for private schools." 

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos, R-Burlington, told the Associated Press that he's open to the idea of such a tax credit, but he's committed to Gov. Scott Walker's plan to expand school choice vouchers statewide.

Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, is a member of the Joint Committee on Finance, and he said the tax credit is in answer to the growing skepticism amongst Republicans toward expanding the voucher program statewide. But, Mason added, the tax credit is really the same thing.

"Sen. Grothman's tax credit is really just another statewide voucher program," he said. "It's another taxpayer funded school system without the same accountability expected from the public schools."

As for how the tax credit would be funded, Grothman told Patch he's not sure because it depends on revenue estimates and re-estimates as part of the next biennial budget.

"The credit could pass as part of this budget after we get a revenue re-estimate or we could enact it after we vote for the budget in October," he said. "There's also the possibility of lowering the amount of the credit."

We asked Patch readers to weigh in as well by asking on Facebook if they agree with Grothman's proposal or not and why.

The case for the tax credit

Peter DiGaudio sees no problem with the tax credit, according to a post on Mount Pleasant Patch's Facebook page.

"Yes. Because the money belongs to the taxpayer, not the government," he posted.

Stacy Duffy Wilde is a parent paying for private school, and she equates the tax credit with the credits most residents get for mortgage interest and childcare.

"We pay for our kids to go private in ADDITION into paying to the public school system in property taxes," she wrote. "Hope the people that feel that (we) don't need a state tax voucher also feel the same about deducting their children on thier taxes, along with the childcare, and also mortgage interest ... if you can afford to have children, pay for their childcare and put them in a house rather than an apartment, you don't need a tax credit for all of it."

Mike Bergman wrote that it's about spending tax dollars equitably.

"A private school education is fifty times better than a public school education and families who care about their children and their future should be able to get the same amount of there tax dollars spent on there children," he said.

The case against a tax credit

Bobbi Barrows disagrees because parents who choose to send their kids to private school understand the cost of that choice.

"If the school isn't meeting my child's needs and I home school, I don't get a tax credit. Should I get MY tax money back because they can't meet my child's needs?" she posted.

Denise Predny sends her kids to private schools and doesn't expect a tax credit in return.

"As a parent who sends their children to private school, I say 'no,'" she wrote. "I made the choice based on our belief in Montessori education (and) do not expect someone to be compensated for the decision."

Jeff Woosley agrees.

"They are choosing to not avail themselves of a service provided by their tax dollars. It's a choice they make," he posted. "They aren't forced by anyone to 'double-pay' on education."

What about those without kids in schools?

Some readers addressed residents who either no longer have children in school or never had kids.

Lori Thorsen Miller took the matter head-on.

"I pay public school taxes and never went to a public school nor do I have children. How fair is that to me?" she wrote.

Heather Geyer's response was that public education benefits society as a whole.

"Do you want to live in a society with a bunch of uneducated kids running around — kids who grow up and make decisions that will (affect) our lives?" she posted. "Having a quality public education system benefits everyone in society. Everyone."

Barrows agreed.

"We are all paying for schools. Even if we don't have kids IN school. Just like we pay for parks," she wrote. "If I don't use the Parks at all and choose to pay to go to monkey Joe's instead should I get credit for that?"

Angela Bojarski Minev thinks the state's senior citizens are most deserving of any tax break.

"If anyone should get school tax breaks it should be the seniors that get stuck having to pay for school on their property taxes, and they have adult children, grand children and great grandchildren," she wrote. "Now that group deserves the right to have a tax break!"


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant