Education

OCPA applauds expansion of tax-credit scholarship program

May 20, 2021

Staff

Contact: Sheridan Betts
Phone: 405-724-2464

OCPA applauds expansion of tax-credit scholarship program

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 20, 2021)— Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, issued the following statement praising lawmakers for voting to expand the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act. That program provides tax credits to individuals and entities that donate to organizations that provide low-income children with scholarships to private schools. Under current law, the program is limited to $3.5 million annually in tax credits for donations to scholarship-granting organizations. Senate Bill 1080, which received final passage in the Oklahoma Legislature today, raises that cap to $25 million.

“Decades from now, when today’s children are adults, thousands of them will look back and know they were able to achieve great things thanks to the education made possible by lawmakers with this vote today,” Small said. “A quality education opens the door to a better life for all children, but especially those whose current circumstances are mired in challenges few of us can comprehend. When those families are limited to only one local public school, many of those children wind up short-changed by a system that does not cater to their needs. By increasing school choice for those families, we are making Oklahoma better place—a place where families from all backgrounds have the opportunity to achieve and thrive. This is a great day for kids thanks to the leadership of Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, Governor Kevin Stitt, House Speaker Charles McCall, and the many lawmakers who supported this bill.”

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs is a free-market think tank that works to advance principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, individual initiative and personal responsibility.

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