Education opportunity bill is a good deal for students and parents

Linda Blackford engaged in some rather twisted math on Feb. 2, as she antagonistically hyperventilated about an exciting and timely education opportunity bill for Kentucky. But, Blackford’s “math” just doesn’t add up for those who need it most: Kentucky’s children.

Blackford certainly engaged in some of that “KERA (Kentucky Education Reform Act) Math” we used to hear about all the time – the kind of math where the right answer doesn’t matter so long as the story sounds good.

She originally wrote: “We are nearing pre-KERA levels of funding already.” While Blackford later changed the op-ed, her original statement is nonsense we constantly hear from other talking heads.

Dr. John Garen, a professor of economics at UK, just published a report about “Facts and Trends Regarding Performance and Funding of K-12 in Kentucky.” His report shows – even after inflation is considered – that funding for Kentucky’s public schools is 80 percent higher today than it was back in 1990 when KERA was enacted.

If our public schools are hurting, maybe they need to learn how to manage money better.

Kentucky’s public education system has never provided good financial accounting about how school tax dollars are being spent where it really counts, at the individual school level. Recognizing this, the former Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) established a finance committee to try to develop much better financial reports. Sadly, as soon as Gov. Andy Beshear irregularly replaced all KBE members, one of the very first actions taken by the new board was to kill its finance committee.

So, Kentuckians are still pretty much left clueless about how much money out of that 80 percent higher total amount reaches down to their schools. Is the extra money being well-spent? Is too much being lost in overhead? Beshear’s hand-picked state board doesn’t seem very interested in improving the situation.

But, enough about sloppy math. Let’s talk about the good deal House Bill 149, which creates the well-named Education Opportunity Account Program, provides for parents, especially those with low incomes.

Despite Blackford’s biased comments, the bill does much more than just providing parents with tuition support to enroll their children in private schools. In fact, the bill allows parents of low to modest incomes to access several different education options that are now more important than ever thanks to COVID-19.

Here’s only a partial listing of what the bill provides:

• Tuition or fees to attend a prekindergarten to grade 12 public or non-public school;

• Online learning programs;

• Tutoring services;

• Textbooks, curriculum or other instructional materials;

• Computer hardware, other technological devices and software for educational needs;

• Fees for nationally standardized assessments, AP examinations and college admissions examinations;

• Tuition/fees for summer and specialized after-school education programs;

• Costs for a career or technical school;

• Educational services and therapies, including but not limited to occupational, behavioral, physical, speech-language and audiology therapies;

• Tuition and fees for dual credit courses; and

• Transportation fees paid for student travel to and from an education service provider.

Clearly, HB 149 does much more than providing support for students to go to a private school. Some of the money will actually go to the public school sector. And, the money is targeted first to help those most in need with services that are particularly important in the new COVID-19 world we live in.

Money for HB 149 is not generated by tax dollars. Rather, the funds come from private scholarship-granting organizations that get voluntary contributions from private individuals and businesses. Donated amounts, up to a specified limit, create a tax credit for the donor.

So, the “real” HB 149 math adds up to a better deal for Kentucky’s needy families. It’s a much more solid equation for Bluegrass State students.

Richard G. Innes is staff education analyst for the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a Kentucky free-market think tank.