A child at a deskMake a difference: Expand School Choice in Virginia

Welcome! We need your help today to expand educational options for all children in Virginia.
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Introduction

Two bills being considered by Virginia lawmakers will provide a higher quality education to Virginia students and promote a stronger statewide economy. We need your help to make sure that your lawmaker votes for these bills! Click here to take action today.

One bill (HB 1965, the Public & Private Education Investment Tax Credit) will provide opportunities for middle- and low-income children to attend better schools by providing tax credits for donations to nonprofit organizations that provide K-12 scholarships to low-income children.  Public school extracurricular activities and capital improvement projects can also benefit from these donations. The bill will also help our public schools and will support families that homeschool their children.

The other bill (HB 2104, the Students with Disabilities Tuition Assistance Grant Program) will allow children with autism to receive scholarships to attend private schools that best meet their needs. This bill renews our solemn compact with parents, ensuring that every child receives a quality, equal education, regardless of disabilities or learning challenges.  

Both programs will provide educational and economic benefits to Virginia, and we need your help today in encouraging lawmakers to vote yes on these bills. Click here to take action today.

Update: Both bills have passed the House of Delegates with bipartisan support! Now, it's on to the Senate!

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Legislative Issues

Read the Full Bills

About HB 1965: Education Investment Tax Credit

  • What does the bill do?
    HB 1965 creates the Education Investment Tax Credit (EITC), which provides tax credits for businesses and individuals who make contributions to eligible public school foundations and eligible scholarship foundations.
  • How does the program work?
    The EITC would offer taxpayers up to $20 million in tax credits, including $10 million for public school foundations and $10 million for scholarship foundations.  When donating to these organizations, individuals could annually claim a 100 percent tax credit for contributions up to $800 for individual taxpayers and $1,200 for married taxpayers filing jointly.  Businesses could annually claim a 90 percent tax credit for such a donation with no limit on the dollar amount per contribution.
  • Who would benefit?
    Scholarship foundations must disburse 90 percent of the contributions for qualified educational expenses through scholarships. Public school foundations must disburse annually 90 percent of the contributions for capital improvement projects approved by the local school board and for extracurricular activities.  
  • Who would be eligible?
    Public school students would benefit from increased expenditures in capital improvement projects and extracurricular activities.  Middle- and low-income private school students could receive scholarships to help with tuition.  Families homeschooling their children could also get help.  Students who incur costs to attend a neighboring public school could receive assistance too.  All students win.
  • How big is the scholarship?
    Scholarships would be distributed by the scholarship foundation but cannot exceed either: the cost of private school tuition, instructional fees, and materials; or the state’s share of the per-pupil expenditure to each local school division.

About HB 2104: Students with Disabilities Tuition Assistance Grant Program

  • What does the bill do?
    HB 2104 creates the Students with Disabilities Tuition Assistance Grant Program, which provides tuition assistance so that students can attend a nonsectarian school of their parents’ choice.
  • Who would be eligible?
    Eligible students include K-12 students with an individualized educational program and who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, including an autistic disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.  

    The student must have attended a public school in the Commonwealth and have received special education services from a public school for at least one year prior to the request of a grant.

  • How big is the scholarship?
    The scholarship level depends on the need of the individual student and is capped at $36,000 per year.  The grant may be awarded annually until the student returns to a public school or is no longer eligible for special education services.  At any time, the student's parent may remove the student from the private school of attendance and place the student in another private school that is eligible for the Grant Program or in a public school.
  • How would families apply for scholarships?
    Parents must first demonstrate that their children are not making substantial progress in public schools. Then, they apply to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for a tuition assistance grant to enroll the student in an eligible private school.

Smart Policy: Five Reasons to Say “Yes” to the Tax Credit and Autism Scholarship Bills

  • Families in Virginia deserve more educational options—right now. Far too many children in our state attend schools that are failing to provide a quality education. About 66 percent of 8th graders in the Commonwealth are not proficient in reading, and 62 percent are not proficient in math. The tax credit bill provides more options so that parents can choose the best education for their children, encouraging all schools to improve.
  • We must stimulate job creation and economic growth. The bill promotes job creation and economic renewal by allowing corporations to receive tax credits for making contributions to nonprofit organizations that support all children’s educational needs. Plus, the bill will not raise any taxes but increases the amount of money spent on educational improvement. As a Commonwealth, we use tax credits as a method of encouraging economic development and the environment. For example, Virginia has a $100 million tax credit program for land conservation; we are recommending $20 million for educating our children!
  • Now is the time to use innovative, proven solutions to improve education throughout our Commonwealth. Other states—such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island—have enacted similar tax credit programs. These states have enjoyed overwhelming success with these programs, including increased student achievement, high parental satisfaction, and widespread cost-savings.
  • School choice saves tax dollars. For example, many families that currently send their children to private schools or homeschools their kids are faced with the prospect of sending their children back to public schools. Why? With the economy in crisis, parents are looking for second jobs to make ends meet, and educational options can be costly. But, the cost of absorbing these children back into the public system would be astronomically higher. Imagine the costs associated with placing 135,000 additional children—the number of students who currently attend private schools or are homeschooled—in our public schools! By providing parents with modest support today, we keep costs down, prevent tax increases, and enhance parental involvement in education. The tax credit bill does this.
  • We must protect children with special needs and keep our promise to provide every child with a quality education. The autism bill recognizes that children with special needs deserve the best education possible and that occasionally public schools do not have the capability to best educate children with autism. Right now, public school districts can elect to send children with special needs to private schools. This bill puts that decision in the hands of parents. Five other states across the country offer students with disabilities the opportunity to attend private schools using state scholarships. These programs have been phenomenally successful, as evidenced by 100% satisfaction of parents who participated in a similar Ohio scholarship.
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Take Action

Both bills are moving quickly with bipartisan support! We hope that you will take the following four steps today to ensure that these bills become law and that children throughout Virginia are provided with new opportunities.

  1. Send an e-mail. Send an e-mail. We encourage you to send a personal e-mail to your State Senator. Click Here to locate your senator. Use one of our letter templates to help craft your e-mail!
  2. Send a letter via U.S. mail. If you are interested in writing to your State Senator but need assistance in helping to craft your letter, we’ve written some templates that you can use. Make sure to personalize the letter by adding a brief paragraph about why this legislation is important to you. Then, send it in the mail or fax it in. You can choose the letters that are best for you.
  3. Stay involved. E-mail us your address and we’ll send you a bumper sticker and action alerts
     

Make Your Voice Heard

    1. General Support Letter of Tax Credit & Special Needs Bill (HB 1965 & 2104)
    2. General Support Letter of Tax Credit (HB 1965)
    3. Parent Support Letter of Tax Credit (HB 1965)
    4. General Support Letter of Special Needs Bill (HB 2104)
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Join Our Prominent Supporters

Leaders from across Virginia have lined up in support of school choice efforts. Read why everyone from the lieutenant governor to leaders of faith-based groups is signing up in support of these common-sense initiatives.

In addition to our high-profile supporters, a full 69 percent of Virginians support the tax credit proposal, as evidenced by a recent Mason Dixon poll. Check it out:

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News & Views

Stay up-to-date on news and issues regarding these two bills. Read what media outlets are saying about the legislation and check back here for upcoming radio interviews and television appearances by bill sponsors and school choice supporters.

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