To view the PDF letter from the MASC Board of Directors, click here.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees urges Governor Maura Healey to refrain from opting into the federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program. In doing so, we note our full support and agreement with the statement of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
Our position is based on several concerns:
- We have an overall concern that the tax credit program is part of a master strategy to divert funding from current federal appropriations to block grants under the guise of respecting “local control.” Under this strategy, critical grant funding for programs supporting special education, Title 1 services for students at risk, and school nutrition programs could be reapportioned not by the congress, but as block grants to states, diverting resources from where they were originally directed to go to non-educational priorities.
- This is effectively a voucher program where the funds could underwrite private schools in general by giving families an option to elect private alternatives to public education.
- Massachusetts has a long history of protecting services for our students and families most in need, and enabling federal funds to be diverted for private purposes could put our public schools and school districts at risk for cuts to federal aid.
- We fear that tax credits would benefit those students already enrolled in private schools. Those students are more likely to be more economically advantaged while other students and parents who are struggling or who attend our small and rural districts would not have access to elite schools, nor would they be as likely as their wealthier neighbors to work through the eligibility hurdles inherent in taking advantage of federal dollars.
As our colleagues at MASS have stated, we agree that this is an assault on public education.
In the interests of equity and fairness, and in support of public education, we ask that you decline from opting into the federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program.