Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-5774
For Immediate Release: March
13, 2008
Sen. Kenneth Corn
Sen. Corn Says Tax Credit for Private School
Scholarships Benefits Few, Hurts Many
State Sen. Kenneth
Corn is blasting an amendment that was narrowly approved by
the full Senate on Thursday as devastating to public education,
particularly in the state’s largest cities. The amendment
would give tax credits for those donating money for scholarships
to be used by families who want to remove their children from public
school and enroll them in private institutions.
“We heard several people speak in support of this measure
because they feel like public schools in Oklahoma City and Tulsa
are broken,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “But cherry-picking
a handful of students and pulling resources out of public education
does nothing to fix the main problem, and too many children will
be left behind.”
Corn said the money for the tax credits would have to be taken from
the state’s general revenue fund, reducing the amount of money
available for public education, further crippling troubled urban
schools.
“Taking away a few students and reducing funding is not the
answer,” Corn said. “Until you begin to address some
of the real social issues that are keeping Oklahoma children from
succeeding, including substance abuse, teen pregnancy and gangs,
we’re just going to see the situation get even worse. When
that happens, we’ll see increased costs in corrections, welfare
and other publicly funded programs.”
The measure, contained in Senate Bill 2093, now moves to the House
of Representatives.
“I would urge every parent, educator and all concerned citizens
in our state to call their Representative and tell them they’re
opposed to taking funding from public schools, and urge them to
vote no on SB 2093,” Corn said.
For more information contact:
Senator Corn's Office: (405) 521-5576
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