Michigan should opt out of the Education Freedom Tax Credit

As a Michigan resident and your constituent, I join with the American Association of University Women of Michigan (AAUWMI) and other member organizations of the Council about Parochiaid (CAP) to urge you to opt Michigan out of the Education Freedom Tax Credit. This tax credit is really a national voucher program in disguise. The program redirects an undetermined amount of funding from public to private schools. The proposal is financially irresponsible, lacks transparency, and would create winners and losers in education systems across our state. The Michigan Constitution prohibits the use of state dollars to fund private education. Because the Education Freedom Tax Credit is not funded by the state, it would evade state constitutional protections to mitigate against any harms caused by the voucher program. The implementation of voucher programs has proven problematic in other states, and there is no reason to believe Michigan would be immune from these issues: • Private schools can limit enrollment based on their own criteria and can raise tuition to match the value of the voucher. • The primary users of school vouchers are families that were already sending their children to private schools; low-income families are not the major recipients of vouchers. Eligibility for the Education Freedom Tax Credit is set at 300% of area median income, a threshold that does not target low-income families since about 90% of the U.S. population would qualify. • Students with disabilities attending a private school with a voucher can receive fewer special education and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) services than they would receive in a public school. • Students in rural areas often do not have access to a private school near their home. • Voucher programs divert millions of dollars from public schools. • Research shows that vouchers do not increase student achievement. Michigan voters have repeatedly rejected school voucher proposals. I urge you to reject the Education Freedom Tax Credit and the backdoor voucher program associated with it. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of this issue.