Hearing on Friday for K-12 Tax Credit Scholarship Program

The House Education Committee will hear a bill proposing a K-12 tax credit scholarship program this Friday, March 4, at 1pm in Salem. House Bill 2291 would increase opportunities for K-12 students from low-income and working-class families to attend private schools by granting tax credits to individuals and businesses for donations to qualified scholarship organizations. (Read about how this program could save Oregon millions.)

Two other bills that would create similar scholarship programs for special education students (HB 2290) and students attending failing schools (HB 2289) also will be heard on March 4. Email [email protected] for more information about how to show your support!

These bills are part of a package of Florida style reforms (House Bills 2288-2295). The other portions of the Florida package include HB 2288 for A-F Grading of Schools; HB 2292 for Teacher Licensure; HB 2293 for Every Third Grader Reads; HB 2294 for Incentive Pay/AP Success Bonuses. Of these bills, we encourage you to specifically support HB 2292, which would allow alternative means of licensure for teachers. This bill would allow teachers with doctoral degrees and equivalent out-of-state teaching licenses to teach in Oregon. It would make it easier for Oregon’s schools to attract and retain talent. Currently, only 24% of Oregon’s high schools offer Advanced Placement or IB courses in the four core subjects. This bill, and HB 2294, would help give students more advanced course options.

Please attend the hearing on March 4th to show your support. If you are interested in testifying, please email [email protected] for more information about how to submit testimony. If you cannot attend, please email legislators on the house education committee to let them know that you support these bills.

House Education Committee Members

Co-Chair Sara Gelser, [email protected]
Co-Chair Matt Wingard, [email protected]
Jason Conger, [email protected]
Lew Frederick, [email protected]
Michael Dembrow, [email protected]
John E. Huffman, [email protected]
Betty Komp, [email protected]
Julie Parrish, [email protected]

Christina Martin is a policy analyst for the School Choice Project at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.